06 Mar 2023

The 2023/2024 financial year will come with review of several of the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs’ existing policies, legislation and regulations in efforts to improve service delivery as well as create conducive environment for trade and investment.

Presenting the ministry’s budget estimates for the next financial year in Parliament recently, Labour and Home Affairs Minister, Ms Annah Mokgethi, said among priorities would be the review of the Immigration Act to facilitate travel, ease doing of business and digitalise services for residence and work permits.

Ms Mokgethi added that the ministry was currently consulting for comprehensive review of the Citizenship Act to close identified gaps, including that of dual citizenship.

Other laws that would be looked into she said included the Societies Act, National Registration Act as well as the Marriage Act with a view to provide for registration of religious and traditional marriages and prohibiting marriage to minors.

On achievements, Ms Mokgethi told MPs that the ministry had, in the 2022/2023 financial year, completed negotiations with neighbouring South Africa and Namibia to extend operating hours at Tlokweng and Mamuno border posts to 24 hours.

“This new development will start at Mamuno this April while Tlokweng border will start in December this year. This will help ease movement of people and goods across our borders, which will positively impact trade,” she said. That, she said meant good news especially for Mamuno border post due to the recent agreement on the use of identity cards as part of travel documents.

Nonetheless, the minister said there were numerous concerns that the ministry planned to tackle in the next financial year, including illegal immigrants whose repatriation was costly.

She indicated that from March 1 last year to January this year, a total of 4 142 irregular immigrants were repatriated at a cost of more than P1.1 million.

On one hand, Ms Mokgethi said that the ministry was concerned about the National Identification System which she said was susceptible to frequent breakdowns with long downtime as well as vulnerable to virus attacks due to old age.

She however assured that the system was being overhauled and upgraded.

On labour disputes, Ms Mokgethi indicated that from April to November last year, the ministry registered 6 164 trade disputes with an additional 1 302 cases brought forward from the previous year, which brought the total to 7 466.

“Out of this 2 570 were settled, 1 112 were referred to the industrial court, 13 to the police, 52 for arbitration while others were withdrawn. Some cases were default awards which were then referred to the Commissioner of Labour for variation and or confirmation,” she explained.

She added that P328 523 was paid out to parties. In relation to retrenchments, Ms Mokgethi said 208 companies submitted notifications of intent to retrench, of which only 36 of them retrenched while the rest laid their employees off.

Meanwhile, Ms Mokgethi said the ministry was in the process of signing a contract with Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) to purchase of 10 houses at Tsabong, three at Tutume and two at Mahalapye in order to address shortage of staff accommodation. ends