14 Aug 2019

A Botswana blue card will be launched this month,  Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs Mr Ngaka Ngaka has announced. 

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Francistown, Minister Ngaka said the electronic card was being introduced to cater for citizens married to foreigners and had moved to countries that did not allow dual citizenship. 

He said its introduction followed consultation on the Citizenship Amendment Bill specifically the provision on dual citizenship which Parliament put on hold because it affected 34 other pieces of legislation. 

Minister Ngaka said the card would not have an expiry date and would be produced by the holder at any gazetted entry  point. 

He appealed to those affected by the dual citizenship issue to apply for the card. 

Minister Ngaka said it would be unfair to treat Batswana citizens the same as foreigners who were given a 90-day permit to stay in Botswana. 

“If someone comes to Botswana to visit a sick relative, nobody knows when they are going to be better, therefore the government cannot put a timeframe for them to have left the country, which is of their origin. 

Doing that is tantamount to  infringing on their rights to live in their native country where their ancestors are,” he said. 

The card would therefore give holders  give access into Botswana anytime they wished, he said. 

Mr Ngaka said the card was meant to ensure those affected were not discriminated against. 

On other issues, the minister briefed residents on the Citizenship Act saying any person who holding dual citizenship ceased to be a citizen of Botswana on renouncing the country’s citizenship. 

Minister Ngaka said dual citizenship only applied to people who were Botswana citizens by descent but were also citizens of other countries.

Such  people were required to renounce the other citizenship  on reaching the age of 21, he said explaining that failure to do so resulted in the loss of Botswana citizenship as per section 15 of the act. 

He said those who were residing in Botswana before 1966 were not required by law to apply for citizenship because they were considered Batswana. 

However, Minister Ngaka  said it was clear that most people had not denounced one of their citizenship which was a serious offence. 

He reiterated that giving false information to a person employed in the public service or public body was a serious offence. 

Minister Ngaka also spoke strongly against gender-based violence (GBV) which he said was increasing at an alarming rate in Botswana. 

He said research had revealed  that GBV affected both males and females and appealed to the two parties to avoid committing such offences in the presence of children because they might end up copying such bad behaviour. 

Residents were further informed that the women economic empowerment programme, which was put on hold in 2017 for further consultation and correction, would be re-introduced very soon.

 Giving a vote of thanks, area MP Mr Wynter Mmolotsi said the card would be beneficial to Batswana women married to foreigners who had moved to countries that did not allow dual citizenship.BOPA