Africa-Press – Angola. Employees at the Zango-01 Registry Office are being accused by users of engaging in corruption and racketeering practices when issuing documents, a situation controlled by local officials who do nothing to stop such behavior. They say, for example, that corruption is so rampant that for more than 100,000 kwanzas, a foreign citizen can obtain an Angolan identity card.
For several months, users have been contacting Jornal Na Mira do Crime, asking for help and exposing the severe corruption that exists in that department. Our reporting team worked undercover at the Zango-01 Registration Store to verify the facts. They spoke with users who were waiting outside the department for assistance.
Bluntly, they claim that the gang is led by a senior manager at the Store, who allegedly placed one of her daughters in cleaning duties to closely monitor the scheme from the outside in.
The scheme, in addition to the senior worker who has been in charge for several years, includes a group of corrupt cleaning workers and identification employees and a security guard who works at the civil registry and is the right-hand man of the group’s boss, all duly identified by this newspaper, in addition to the mixers who are on duty on the street and at the identification entrance, calling out to customers.
The scene begins at 9 a.m., when the department head arrives. She gathers all her workers in a room designed to serve as the store’s cafeteria. There, Natália distributes the day’s tasks, giving each person documents she signs with a stipulated amount.
Users who wish to process their ID card must arrive at the office at 4 or 5 a.m. and are given a number in order of arrival, but those who arrive at 9 or 10 a.m. are not served.
The fees charged for processing any identification document, per person, range from 10,000 to 60,000 kwanzas. If a foreign citizen applies for an Identity Card, they are charged more than 100,000 kwanzas.
At 2 p.m., the gang leader calls his entire squad to distribute the illegally acquired money. The “mixers” who call clients are caught and found during the distribution of the “proceeds.”
In addition to acts of corruption, the Zango-01 Registry Store faces serious problems with system and power outages.
Amélia Manuel, one of the complainants, says she was charged 15,000 kwanzas to renew her ID card. “My card expired two months ago, and I’ve been trying to get a new one, but I can’t. I paid the RUP at the cost of 400 kwanzas at the bank to get the new one. While I was in line, an unidentified young man called me over and said he had an agreement with the workers inside and that they could help me,” she revealed, emphasizing that she didn’t have the required amount.
The strange thing is that, from that point on, whenever he goes to the ID card issuing office, they tell him that there is no system.
Mr. Francisco, a user, says that the group of identification workers are labeled as criminals who act legally and in the eyes of the authorities.
“The Zango-01 identification department is as old as the scheme, in the eyes of everyone, even the police. Chief Natália doesn’t work; she’s just been dividing her workers’ daily tasks and collecting the money, overseen by her daughter Marta, who works in cleaning,” he accused.
“My appeal is that they all be arrested as soon as possible. We are poor, and they are only harming us. We want all corrupt workers removed from their positions,” he demanded.
This newspaper’s reporter tried to contact Natália Licilio, head of the Registry Office, but she was not at her workplace for unknown reasons.
Icolo and Bengo Justice promises to change the situation
We contacted the Provincial Delegate of Justice of Icolo Bengo, Adalgiza Serafina. She said she was unaware of what had been happening in the identification process, explaining that “I’ve been in this position for three months, I’m new. I’m gradually becoming aware of things. I know nothing about this. If there’s supposed corruption, it must be something old,” she stated, asking Jornal Na Mira do Crime to give her time to work and investigate as well.
“Don’t publish the story without me responding first. I have to work on this mission. In a while, if you notice that nothing has changed and the corruption continues, then you can publish the story,” he recommended.
However, to not give space to the corrupt and the gang, the Newspaper publishes the content and calls for more work from the person responsible for Justice in Icolo e Bengo, and guarantees that in the coming weeks or months, we will be at the same Registry Office to find out how the process is progressing.
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