24 Jan 2018

Residents of Etsha 1, 6 and 13 have appealed to Member of Parliament for Ngami to plead with the minister responsible to address the challenge of acquiring citizenship by some Hambukushu living in Botswana once and for all.   

In a series of Kgotla meetings addressed by Mr Thato Kwerepe, the topic has always been a burning issue as all the residents want is to be granted Botswana citizenship as they have long stayed in the country and have families here.

Some children were born in Botswana to parents who fled from Angola during the civil war and they are now grown-ups without Omang because they do not have citizenship due to the immigration laws that have to be followed.

Following the grievance, the area MP, sometimes towards the end of last year decided to bring immigration officers from headquarters to the area to explain to the concerned residents the whole citizenship matter.

In the recent Kgotla meetings, the state of the matter was still the same, no one was helped, and therefore they want the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs to come and address them.

However, Mr Kwerepe promised the residents that soon a team of immigration officers would come to the concerned villages and they would get help.

He concurred with constituents that a speeded up process needed to be implemented to help people get citizenship because after all they are Batswana,

The MP said to access any service in Botswana, one has to possess an Omang card and that is why there is need for something to be done to help the people.

There are those who need permit in order register for citizenship or nyambinikwatere as they call it in the area, and to register they have to pay P1 500, which many cannot afford, hence Mr Kwerepe agreed with residents that a waiver should be considered.

Kgosi Seemeko of Etsha 6 said the ever changing immigration laws had caused confusion among his people over the issue of citizenship.

He said some parents had died while this made it difficult for the surviving children to be assisted to acquire citizenship.

Furthermore, Kgosi Seemeko said parents had been granted citizenship during the years of 1974 and 1975 and some had long died, leaving behind children who are now suffering because of the stiff immigration laws. Ends