14 Dec 2017

Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Mr Thapelo Olopeng says there are some children, especially those at primary school level, who do not have birth certificates.

Responding to a question in Parliament on behalf of the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs recently, Mr Olopeng said preliminary figures indicated that 40 per cent of pupils did not have birth certificates.

He said his ministry was targeting hard to reach areas such as Kgalagadi, Ghanzi, Okavango Boteti and others to assist.

Minister Olopeng said since 2011, the nationality, immigration and gender affairs ministry had opened 14 On-Site registration Centres in major health facilities across the country.

He said the initiative guarantees timely birth registrations for all births that occur in health facilities and meet the legal requirements of registering a birth within 60 days from the time of occurrence.

The minister said since 2011, 159 902 births have been registered through the initiative and further explained that the ministry would like to expand the service to other health facilities such as in Tsabong, Hukuntsi, Gweta and Tutume.

Minister Olopeng said the ministry had also opened offices in Shakawe in 2012 and Nata in 2013 in an effort to make registration services more accessible to communities.

He said the ministry continued to conduct monthly outreach services during which registration and distribution of documents such as births and death certificates were conducted.

Minister Olopeng further said the nationality ministry established collaboration with other stakeholders to advance birth registration in the country.

Further, Mr Olopeng said that UNICEF also provided assistance and worked with the ministry to reach the marginalised and vulnerable children in the hard-to-reach areas.

Specially Elected MP, Mr Mephato Reatile had asked the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs if he was aware that a lot of pupils at primary schools around the country did not have birth certificates.

He wanted the minister to state the action he would take to ensure the pupils were provided with the national document. ENDS