07 Sep 2023

 The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs has embarked on a roadshow exhibition that aims to enlighten the public on the different services it offers.

Speaking at the launch of the roadshow Wednesday, labour and home affairs minister, Ms Anna Mokgethi said they had observed that people often visited offices without proper documentation for the services they needed.

“Quite often people travel long distances and spend a lot on transport just to get to the offices and be told that they did not have the necessary to receive a certain service. So we want to curb such,” Ms Mokgethi said.

She added that the roadshow would be extended to all parts of the country, particularly border villages where there were migration issues that needed to be cleared out.

For his part, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Jimmy Opelo cautioned the public on fraudsters who approached ex-miners who worked in South Africa and claimed to assist them with compensation from government.

“South Africa has done a research and found out that some injuries and diseases that ex-miners have may have been caused by the mining industry and they arranged for compensation. Botswana also has ex-miners that worked in South Africa and currently the ministry is in talks to get compensation for those from South Africa,” Mr Opelo said.

He added that the ministry had not appointed people anywhere in the country to help the ex-miners to be compensated except the ministry office in Gaborone.

On other issues, public relations officer in the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs, Mr Kaboyamodimo Mokoti advised the public to register their plots, including those with certificates following an update to the secure land title.

“The new certificate does not only give land use rights, but also gives owners chance to develop their land and increase their wealth as it provides access to financial assistance just like freehold land,” Mr Mokoti explained.

He added that the secure land title certificate was mandatory and therefore urged Batswana to register for it while it was still issued free of charge. ENDS