01 Jul 2013

Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu says registration of new borns and deaths serves as an integral part of government’s national development plan. 

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Phuduhudu, Mr Batshu said his ministry compiled a report that captured the growth and decline of the population every year, which in turn helped government plan well on developments. 

“If we say this year, we registered 100 000 births of children, 50 000 of which were born in Ngamiland, the ministry of education and skills development will in turn know where to build schools to accommodate these children,” he said.

Mr Batshu said newborn babies should be registered within 60 days after birth and as for deaths; it should be within 30 days after someone has died. He further said his ministry was faced with a challenge of people who registered birth certificates and Omang cards late. 

“And then people complain that it is very difficult to register. Yes it is very hard to register grown-ups for birth certificates and Omang cards because we have to interrogate and find facts that indeed the person being registered was born here and is a Motswana,” he said.

He emphasised the importance of registering for the national identity card, saying it allowed one to benefit from government programmes. Minister Batshu warned those people who conspired with foreigners to acquire such cards. He indicated that when a child turned 16 years, an Omang card should be done within 30 days after that.

Mr Batshu said arrangements had been made with hospitals to produce birth certificates immediately after birth. He also informed the meeting that it was unlawful to employ children under the age of 16. “Those children should be in school and not in the workforce,” he said.

Residents called for the rolling out of the ministry’s services to remote areas. They further pleaded with the minister to ask Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) to roll out prepaid standpipes since some people were misusing public standpipes.

For his part, Maun East MP, Mr Frank Ramsden said the situation of youth unemployment in remote areas was disheartening. “The youth have gone to the point of being desperate and have given up on life,” he said.

He said it was worrisome that both young and old people in Phuduhudu solely relied on Ipelegeng and pleaded with government to seek ways of  addressing the situation. 

“According to statistics, Ngamiland is the second poorest district and we have to find better ways of uplifting people’s lives,” said Mr Ramsden.

He appealed to Minister Batshu to support budget allocations for development of the North West District. ENDS