30 Mar 2021

Parliament on Monday approved P452 million and P52 million as recurrent and development budget funds for the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs for the 2021/22 financial year.

Approving the budget, Member of Parliament for Kgalagadi North, Ms Talitha Monnakgotla requested for a mobile Omang service as people living in settlements were unable to access the services.

She further thanked the minister for extending the usage of expired Omang, saying this had eased congestion at the offices, which was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms Monnakgotla decried the low number of women in politics and urged the minister to work with Non-Governmental Organisations like Emang Basadi to encourage and support women.

She further welcomed the establishment of the National Gender Commission, adding that she hoped it would bring positive results as the country battled with Gender Based Violence.

The Kgalagadi North MP encouraged women to access empowerment schemes and said they should be provided with necessary training to ensure they become financially independent.

For her part, MP Nnaniki Makwinja of Lentsweletau/Mmopane said government had introduced a number of laws and policies, but were not being implemented as they awaited regulations.

She also said women should be encouraged to utilise government schemes to uplift their lives.

Ms Makwinja decried the double standards from the ministry, saying since foreigners were allowed to be engaged as herders, the ladies from other countries should also be allowed to be employed as maids.

For her part, specially elected MP, Dr Unity Dow congratulated the minister for recognising and registering customary and religious marriages.

However, she also suggested that divorces should also be registered.

Dr Dow said correction of birth records should be done at the ministry and not at the High Courts, which was expensive and inaccessible for the majority of the population.

She also welcomed the establishment of One Stop Border posts and said an additional service should be provided at Sikwane Border Post.
Dr Dow further said renunciation of citizenship by people who have attained 21 years should be done at the minister’s office.

Francistown South legislator, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi urged the minister to quickly amend the 24 Sections in the Constitution, which clash with the introduction of dual citizenship law.

Mr Mmolotsi further said immigration officials stationed at the border gates were not protected as they faced shortage of office and residential accommodation.

He further said they were at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 as they handled different passports and urged the minister to provide them with some form of protection such as disposable gloves.

MP for Lerala/Maunatlala, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele said immigration officials should be trained on public relations as they were the first people tourists and investors interacted with when they entered the country.

He called on the minister to establish a service centre in Lerala as people were forced to travel to Palapye to renew their identity cards.

The MP further applauded the minister for the support she gave the NGOs, saying the organisations had played a pivotal role in the development of the country and were at the forefront during the peak of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

MP Caterpillar Hikuama of Ngami said residents of Etsha had been in the country since 1975, yet they were still waiting to acquire Botswana citizenship.

He further said foreigners who married Batswana should be provided with citizenship quickly as their marriage afforded them that status.

MP Hikuama decried the poor state of affairs at Dobe Border Post, where the immigration office is housed in tents and the officials also live in tents.

Bobonong MP, Mr Taolo Lucas said men had been left behind and as such found it difficult to deal with assertive women, hence they resorted to violence or divorce.

He said much as women had been empowered, the men also had to be trained on how to work with such women.

MP Lucas said women representation in politics could be addressed in different areas such as the introduction of mixed proportional representation.

He further said 50 per cent of specially elected councillors should be women.

MP Lucas welcomed the women empowerment initiative, but said the majority of their businesses collapsed due to high rentals.

He urged the minister to construct factory shells for women, adding that such facilities could also be used to house youth-owned businesses.

MP for Goodhope/Mabule, Mr Eric Molale said one out of nine border gates were operational and he called for opening of other points of entry as people were currently forced to travel 600 kilometres between Ramatlabama and Bokspits.

He further said he did not understand the reasons for people to be asked for additional information when they renewed their national identity cards or passports. ENDS