By Margaret Kamba
Following the announcement of the 2024 budget proposal, there was a panic over the proposed new passport fee.
That coupled with the closing of schools literally got many people waking up in the early morning hours to queue and do passport applications.
I had my fair share of three days which gave me and my children a torrid time but also an insight into what the people go through.
I do have a passport but the need for my other two children to have the travel documents was really an uphill task.
The passport application process before the 2024 Budget Proposal announcement was as easy as abc but changed all of a sudden.
The process is now not for the faint-hearted. For those with money, it is an easy task because you simply go through the VIP Express section which has far less hassles.
The long winding queues, the scorching sun and the stinging cold, all characterize the passport application process of an ordinary passport which currently costs 120 United States Dollars, a fee which many say is way higher than those in the region.
However, the idea of having to look for an extra 80 dollars has literally caused a stampede at the Harare offices as people race against the January 2024 possible price hike.
Whether or not the budget will be approved is another thing, but this whole week has been a huge fundraising exercise.
There are passport offices which have surpassed their daily normal targets. From the normal 500 people served a day, the Harare office has seen numbers reaching 1300 applications.
Do the mathematics and see how much money only ordinary passport applications have racked in a day.
Given the pressure of getting the ordinary passport, many have obviously opted to apply for the emergency passport which is 220 United States Dollars.
Whatever numbers are associated with this application, then it means more funds racked in.
The ordinary passport applicant has had a torrid time. If he or she hasn't woken up at midnight to go to the queue, they have had to bear the scorching heat and stand in the queue for hours on end. For some, only to be told they are not able to until they change a "Jnr" in their birth certificate or some other reason.
Who is to blame for such errors? Is there anything that can be done to avoid this? How can efficiency be ensured? How do we allow children, the elderly, pregnant women and others to endure this? Are there countries we can learn from to improve our systems?
Believe me, there are some dedicated men and women working at the passport office who, like the applicants must bear almost the same conditions.
Dealing with different characters from different places is difficult. Some people are just drama queens, while others are literally difficult to deal with.
Others are not patient enough to withstand all these hard conditions and pay their way through the whole process.
While the process instills perseverance, not many are willing to go through it.
The 2024 budget proposal will still go through its processes before being implemented. We can only wait to see the fate of the proposed new ordinary passport fee.