Southern Africa: Parliament - MP Calls for Govt to Scrap Passport Requirements for SADC Countries to Promote Trade, Free Movement

OPPOSITION legislator Zivai Mhetu has urged the government to scrap passport requirements for countries within the SADC region in order to promote trade, tourism, and labour mobility.

Mhetu told Speaker Jacob Mudenda during a point of national interest on Tuesday that Zimbabwe and its neighbours should adopt a system similar to the European Schengen visa, which allows free travel between member states using only ID cards.

"Schengen countries in Europe have boosted trade and mobility through the introduction of the Schengen visa, enabling citizens to travel freely within member states using just ID cards. Closer to home, Namibia and Zambia have recently implemented a similar system, removing the need for passports when travelling between their countries," the Epworth South MP said.

He further argued that such agreements would ease immigration challenges faced by Zimbabweans and other nationalities living in SADC countries without proper documentation.

"Following these developments, my prayer is that Zimbabwe does the same to enhance trade, tourism, and labour mobility, while advancing intra-African commerce in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area and SADC's vision of free movement. I urge government to pursue similar agreements with neighbours such as Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, and South Africa, to allow our citizens to travel, work, and trade more freely, thereby strengthening both economic opportunities and regional unity," he added.

In response, Lands Minister Masuka said the government was currently engaging Botswana on the issue, with plans to have the same arrangement with more countries across Africa.

Masuka could, however, not provide a timeline for when the discussions will be concluded, citing that the negotiations "involve others (countries)", hence deadlines cannot be imposed.

"I know that there are current discussions with Botswana, for example, to ensure that movement is enhanced. You will recall that we already have a UniVisa for the KAZA area. So, such negotiations with other countries will continue.

"I hope that, eventually, the citizens of African countries will be able to travel freely to the 54 African nations. We have made a start to gather momentum in order to accelerate this regional integration that is already in motion and led by our President," he said.

Read the original article on New Zimbabwe.