citizen of Zimbabwe by birth if his father at the time of his birth or in the case of an illegitimate child, his mother is at the time of his birth a citizen of Zimbabwe and resident outside Zimbabwe by reason of the service of his father or mother as the case may be under the Government of Zimbabwe. Again one can be a citizen of Zimbabwe if subsequent to his birth, his father or mother, as the case may be, is accepted for permanent residence in Zimbabwe under any law in force in Zimbabwe, he shall be a citizen of Zimbabwe by birth, or at the time of his birth, his father or in the case of an illegitimate child his mother is a citizen of Zimbabwe and ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe. However, the Constitution is silent on a child’s right to a name and identity. The Constitution does not unequivocally provide the rights of children. 2.3.2 Birth and Death Registration Act [5:02] The Birth and Death Registration Act (BDRA) outlines the national laws with respect to birth, death and stillborn registration in Zimbabwe. The BDRA also establishes the registration centres and provides for the functions of the Registrar-General (RG) and the registrars. Some of the sections are as follows: • Section 3 of BDRA establishes the office of the registrar general as the office responsible for the central registration of all notices of births, stillbirths and deaths. The section also provides for the establishment of Registrars and Deputy Registrars for each district in the country responsible for registering births, still births and deaths that occur in their districts. • Section 4 mandates Registrars to keep and maintain registers of notices given to them and such registers should be forwarded to the RG who in terms of section 5 is mandated to keep and maintain such registers. • Section 6 provides that the RG or the Registrar may issue a certified copy of any entry. • Subsection 5 of Section 6 relates to the registration of names of adopted children. For a child adopted in terms of the Children's Act, [Chapter 5:06], a certified copy can be issued, indicating the new name or names of the child and not the name which the child was registered by before the adoption. • Section 10 of the BDRA stipulates that it is compulsory to register any death or birth occurring in Zimbabwe for any person whose birth occurs after 20 June 1986. • Section 11 (1) gives responsibility and duty on persons to give notice of the birth or still birth of a child. In cases where the parents of child are alive, the responsibility falls upon them. In cases where both parents are dead or are unable to register their child by virtue of some inability, then the following persons are given the duty to give notice of the birth: Birth Registration Research Report/2007 21

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