25 Apr 2021

Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Ms Anna Mokgethi says COVID-19 has negatively affected some of the ministry’s services.

Updating the nation on the impact of COVID-19 in her ministry, she said due to restrictions on international movements and lockdowns, production of passports was slow.

In this respect, she stated, 9 891 passports were produced compared to 73 911 in the same period during the previous year.

Furthermore, Ms Mokgethi said 64 050 Omang applications were processed on April 2020 to January 2021 as compared to 1 92 720 for the same period from March 2019 to January 2020, which she also attributed to COVID-19.

“The decline is attributable to the suspension of Omang Services due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic from March to September 2020,” she quipped.

She further noted that while services resumed in September 2020, they came with restrictions, which affected the number of customers assisted per day and that issuance to those that had turned 16 was also suspended indefinitely.

Ms Mokgethi said due to COVID-19, 10 out of 30 ports of entry were operational, while four airports had also been operational since December 1, being Sir Seretse Khama, Maun, Kasane and PG Matante international airports.

Furthermore, she noted that facilitation of smooth movement of people, goods and services, by the establishment of One-Stop-Border-Posts with neighbouring countries, had been negatively affected, as negotiations slowed down.

On a positive note, Ms Mokgethi stated that the ministry was expediting the digital transition and had so far embarked on the upgrading of the National Identification System (NIS), a process that would lead to the development of a Biometric National Identity Card.

This, she said, would ensure timely service delivery and business facilitation. She said the system would further interface with other national systems and contribute immensely to timely data collection for various national registers.

Ms Mokgethi also noted that registration of births and deaths was also a challenge in remote areas, hence the ministry continued to intensify public education on the importance of births and deaths registration.

She also told the nation that the ministry was continuing to review legislations to improve service delivery, hence several Acts were under review at different stages and process.

Among those, she said, was Citizenship Act that was being reviewed to amend some sections to align the age of majority, which was 18, with the Interpretations Act and Immigration Act, which move would enhance the ease of doing business, modernising work and residence permits as well as  VISA regimes.

She said National Registration Act was also being amended to align the Act to the Citizen Act, as well as the Interpretation Act on the age of majority by increasing the age of applicants to 18 while Marriage Act was intended to provide for registration of religious and traditional marriages.

“This will affirm Botswana’s commitment of protecting the rights of the child.

This will also help the country to respond to the global outcry about children’s marriages, which are seen as child abuse, slavery and violation of their human rights and liberties.” Ends