19 Oct 2022

As a move to close gaps created by COVID-19 movement restrictions, Zimbabwean Ambassador to Botswana, Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro said his office was on the road to documenting Zimbabwean nationals in Botswana.

He said this during a meeting with Boteti leadership in Letlhakane recently. 

He said the aim was to document people through processing of birth certificate applications, passport renewals and international funeral cover registration.

He noted that they would send an investment and trade officer who would engage Zimbabweans in Botswana and Batswana on areas of cooperation.

Mr Mukonoweshuro said they identified possible areas of cooperation between Botswana and Zimbabwe on agricultural produce cross border cooperation and Foot as well as Mouth Disease eradication cooperation.

Boteti council chairperson Mr Molemi Galeragwe said the initiative of ensuring that the people of Zimbabwe in Botswana had proper documents was a welcome development.

He urged Mr Mokonoweshuro to engage the local authorities in Boteti to establish what they have in common and identify areas of cooperation.

For his part, senior assistant council secretary, Mr Christopher Maramaba said they were faced with a lot of challenges, citing issues of Zimbabwean nationals dying in Botswana, incidents of children born locally, crime as well as issues of Batswana students studying in Zimbabwe.

He expressed concern that requirements that should be adhered to when one entered through Zimbabwean border were not known in Botswana.

He cited that there was an incident where a deceased person was kept at the border in Zimbabwe for two days, adding that there was also an incident where a car was impounded at the border because it had no spare wheel.

Kgosi Baruntshi  Kegapetswe of Letlhakane said they had  realised that since the beginning of 2022 Zimbabweans came into Botswana in large numbers, and it was therefore crucial to devise means of how they could be assisted.

He expressed concern that expectant mothers of Zimbabwean nationals lost their lives during birth as they failed to seek medical help due to fears of being arrested.

Kgosi Kegapetswe requested Zimbabwean officials to state plans they had in place for children born in Botswana, saying they were undocumented since most of them were delivered at home. BOPA