Ministry Of Home Affairs Explains Use Of Exit Cards At Ports Of Entry And Exit

The Government of Zimbabwe has denied claims that it intends to spy on its citizens leaving the country after introducing a new system where citizens are asked to provide detailed information about their destination.

In a statement issued on 06 December 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage said there is nothing sinister about the use of exit cards at ports of entry and exit. Read the statement:

There have been several statements/articles and enquiries from various media platforms regarding the purported introduction of exit cards at ports of entry/exit for everyone leaving the country by the Department of Immigration. The Ministry wishes to state the following: –

• It is important to note that the use of exit cards is not a new phenomenon. Their utilization has been part of the Department’s exit formalities since 1998 and is provided for in Immigration Regulations Statutory Instrument 195/98.
• Section 64 of the Regulations peremptorily obliges the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to cause the collection of such data in respect of various categories of persons departing from Zimbabwe and transiting through Zimbabwe depending on the duration.
• The absence of exit cards from exit counters at various ports of entry has only been on account of their non-availability due to resource constraints.
• Furthermore, the exit cards are utilized at the instance and on behalf of the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTATS). This is the national agency mandated by law to collect, collate, analyze, and disseminate integrated, relevant, reliable, and timely official statistics in Zimbabwe.
• The data is part of the broader national data that is compiled and published through National Surveys, National Migration Profiles, Censuses and Administrative Data.

The collection of this data is not unique to Zimbabwe as suggested by some media platforms but universal to all countries. The difference may only be the level or point at which this data is collected. The collection of this data does not in any way violate provisions or principles of the Cyber and Data Protection Act as alleged.

It is important to note that the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage is the same Minister who administers legislation providing for births, deaths, passports, and national registration cards through the Registrar General’s Office.

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The same Minister presides over the collection of data regarding traffic, criminal offences, criminals, prosecutions, and wanted persons amongst other forms of data through the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

The same Minister administers the Immigration Act that provides for the collection of data relating to all foreign nationals entering and exiting Zimbabwe through the Department of Immigration. This data is collected at various stages of these administrative processes.

The Zimbabwe Constitution governs the collection and use of such data in Section 62. Government Officials who collect and process the exit cards are guided by ethical enabling Acts and other related legislation.

There are guidelines and best practices equally adhered to as guided by the Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Migration Governance Framework, and the Global Compact on Migration (GCM).

One of the main objectives of the GCM includes the collection and utilization of accurate and disaggregated data as the basis for evidence-based policies.

Adequate safeguards are guiding the collection of such data. There is no record known or reported case where such data was used for purposes of surveillance or infringement of the rights of any traveller as this is data that is collected by the State.

It is common cause that travellers generally release related data and even more intricate data to travel agencies, airlines, and embassies during air ticket purchases and or visa applications.

Migration Health Assessments for EU/UK visa applicants travelling for periods longer than six (6) months are examples of data collection platforms. At international airports, data is collected.

When travellers seek to access free Wi-Fi and are required to register certain personal information. The same applies to various social media platforms that citizens utilize, which is data collected. by private companies. One would need to be relatively more concerned about the safety and privacy of such data.

Agreeably and leveraging on developments in the ICT sector, there may be opportunities that ZIMSTATS can exploit to facilitate more convenient collection of required data.

In the meantime, until directed otherwise, the Immigration Department is obliged to execute its mandate as required.

The Ministry also wishes to inform and assure citizens that as part of improving government service delivery, it has embarked on the deployment of the Online border management system which will result in a seamless data collection method.

Work on this system has already started and the end product will result in less or no manual completion of forms at our ports of entry.

More: Pindula News