05 Jul 2023

The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs is in the process of developing an electronic national identity card (ID) with advanced features which will include verification through a display of a picture or a photo of the traveller on the spot.

Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Ms Anna Mokgethi told Parliament that the ‘ID will also be interfaced with service provision of the various sectors of the economy.’ 

She said the current ID was machine readable and that it had biometric data of the holder or owner.

She noted that the border control system (BCS) that had been installed at all ports of entry and exit , including Botswana/Namibia border, had been designed to verify and authenticate all travelling documents including the national identity card in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation Standards.

She added that one of the key requirements was that the travel document must be machine readable, and that the BCS was interfaced with the national identification system making it secure to capture the travelling history of the card holder.

Ms Mokgethi further noted that all travellers were required to present themselves before immigration officials for verification and authentication of the details of their national identity.

Furthermore, she said currently the agreement between Botswana and Namibia was such that minors below the age of 16 years would use passports in lieu of identity cards, adding that it meant that all cross border travellers, including minors, were required to be in possession of a valid travel document.

The minister also said Botswana and Namibia were working on a long-term solution of introducing electronic identification systems that would facilitate the identification of minors in the future.

Gaborone Central MP, Mr Tumisang Mangwegape-Healy had wanted to know security mechanism in place for the use of IDs to cross the Botswana/Namibia border since Botswana   ID did not have biometric information. He also asked if there were plans to introduce biometric IDs that were machine readable, and arrangements in place for minors who did not have passports to cross at the Botswana/Namibia border. ENDs