Kwekweza Threatens Legal Action After Civil Registry Refused To Replace National ID
Namatai Kwekweza, a prominent pro-democracy campaigner, has demanded the Registrar-General (RG) replace her defaced national identity card after Civil Registry Department officials refused to do so, citing her inclusion on a so-called “Stop List.”
According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), on 30 October 2024, Kwekweza was informed that she could not receive a new ID because she was allegedly on a “Stop List,” which is typically related to security issues, ongoing investigations, or pending court cases. This decision was reportedly linked to a 2020 criminal case in which she was accused.
Kwekweza engaged her lawyers, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, who on 14 November 2024 sent a letter of demand to the Registrar-General, Henry Machiri, protesting the refusal.
The lawyers argued that the refusal to replace Kwekweza’s ID violated her constitutional right to possess a national identity card, guaranteed under Section 35(3)(c) of the Zimbabwean Constitution.
They said every Zimbabwean citizen is entitled to an ID, regardless of any pending criminal charges.
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The lawyers pointed out that the criminal case against Kwekweza, stemming from allegations in 2020, had been dropped in 2021 after she was acquitted at the close of the prosecution’s case. Therefore, they argued that the reasons for her inclusion on the “Stop List” were no longer valid.
The lawyers set a 48-hour deadline for Machiri to allow Kwekweza to replace her national identity card. They warned that failure to comply would result in legal action against him, with the RG personally bearing the costs of any litigation due to the lack of legal justification for the refusal.
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