In a stunning and miserable information that deepens the nation’s passport disaster, Norway has refused to grant visas to about 16 Malawians who have been set to journey to the European nation on the premise that chips on their newly obtained passports did not learn throughout processing.
The 16 have been anticipated to journey to Norway between June and July this yr, in response to data gathered.
In a letter the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa issued to one of many visa candidates, the embassy famous that an unreadable passport poses challenges when crossing borders.
Reads the letter partly: “The Royal Norwegian Embassy has obtained a number of [Malawi] passports issued between March, April and Could 2024 during which the chips are unreadable. Your passport is one among them, and we want to make you conscious that this may occasionally current challenges at border crossing.
“The embassy, subsequently, recommends that you just apply for a brand new passport together with your authorities. If you happen to select to journey with this passport, kindly notice that this shall be at your personal danger.”
The case of the 16 displays the challenges some Malawians who not too long ago obtained their passports have been dealing with throughout journey.
Two weeks in the past, seven different Malawians have been additionally reported to have been denied entry into South Africa at Beitbridge on account of related issues referring to readability of the passports.
Division of Immigration and Citizenship Companies spokesperson Wellington Chiponde yesterday requested for extra time to seek the advice of.
However throughout a gathering in Lilongwe final week Tuesday, Ministry of Homeland Safety Principal Secretary Steve Kayuni urged the Immigration Division to rapidly deal with all of the bottlenecks related to passport service supply.
He mentioned the division’s technocrats have been better-placed to supply options to the challenges affecting service supply for all Immigration companies, saying they’ve the requisite expertise and capabilities of managing migration points.
Commenting on the matter, Involved Residents of Malawi chief Edward Kambanje, who led protests demanding the removing of now fired Immigration director normal Charles Kalumo, mentioned it was unhappy that Malawians proceed to face passport challenges.
He requested authorities to think about reinstatement of the Techno Mind contract to deal with the present passport points as they search for different everlasting options.
“We consider that the issue we’re at the moment dealing with is due to the Techno Mind contract termination. In order we’re ready for the everlasting measures, allow them to [Techno Brain] come again and proceed their work. We consider that E-Tech has no capability to do such a vital process,” mentioned Kambanje.
In April this yr, Malawi engaged native data and communications expertise (ICT) agency E-Tech Methods as the brand new passport system provider, taking up from Techno Mind.
Malawi has skilled passport issuance challenges ever since Legal professional Normal Thabo Chakaka-Nyirenda in December 2021 cancelled a $60.8 million (about K103.3 billion) Techno Mind contract on account of alleged poor dealing with of the contract by the previous governing Democratic Progressive Social gathering administration.
Techno Mind signed the contract in March 2019.