Aron Mushaukwa
Albertina Nakale
KATIMA MULILO – The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security is set to construct a new regional office for civic affairs in the Zambezi region.
The office will cost the government about N$100 million and house the immigration and refugee departments, as well as correctional services.
Speaking during the groundbreaking on Wednesday, home affairs minister Albert Kawana said the construction of the new office will go a long way in addressing the need for office space in the region.
They are currently operating from a three-bedroom rented house.
“This makes the working environment unconducive for both staff and those seeking services, hence the need for the construction of an office that will provide a conducive work environment for the efficient and effective provision of services,” he stated.
On the same day, Kawana officiated at another groundbreaking ceremony to pave the way for the construction of the new Class B Greenwell Matongo police station along Mafuta road to the tune of N$130 million. It will be situated next to the Greenwell Matongo Primary School.
He observed that the growing population in Katima Mulilo necessitated the construction of the new police station, and called on the residents from the nearby locations to work with the police to promote peace and harmony.
“The maintenance of law and order is a crucial ingredient in any democracy. Therefore, I appeal to the residents of Greenwell Matongo to organise themselves into community police so that they can work together with the men and women in uniform who will be assigned to work in this police station once it is completed,” he stated.
In his remarks, Namibian Police Inspector General Joseph Shikongo said once realised, the new police station will ease the burden on the Katima Mulilo police station, and will go a long way in rendering services and combating crime in the region.
“The Namibian Police Force’s management took serious note of the prevalent crimes in the Zambezi region, particularly in the area of Katima Mulilo town, ranging from housebreaking with intent to steal, robbery, rape and assault GBH. This requires a vigorous approach, and calls upon all of us to intensify our crime prevention efforts,” he continued.
Among others, the new police station will consist of an administration block, 80 rooms (barracks) for males and females, two three-bedroom houses and the installation of two 30 thousand-litre fuel tanks, as well as four dog kennels.
Civic services
According to the Namibia Intercensal Demographic Survey Report of 2016, the Zambezi region, which has a geographical area size of 14 785 square kilometres, is home to 98 849 inhabitants.
The same survey reveals the region ranks third among the regions with the highest population without birth certificates at 17.2% – and the second highest region with the highest population without identity documents at 24.9%.
There are currently five civil registration offices in the region. These include the Zambezi regional office in Katima Mulilo, the Linyanti sub-regional office in the Linyanti constituency, the Impalila sub-regional office in the Kabbe South constituency, the Chetto sub-regional office in the Kongola constituency and the hospital-based office in Katima Mulilo State hospital.
Kawana said the region is bordering countries, such as Angola in the northwest, Zambia in the north and Botswana in the south, making it one of the busiest regions in the country in terms of civil registration and immigration services.
He indicated the 24th Session of the Namibia-Zambia Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security, which took place in Livingstone, Zambia, in April this year, passed five resolutions relating to cooperation between the civil registration authorities of the two countries.
These include conducting awareness activities along the common border on the importance of birth registration and requirements, the development of standard operating procedures for birth registration in district or regional offices along the common border, and addressing the need for border passes for mothers who deliver across the border.
“I am, therefore, calling upon the executive director to ensure that on our part, these resolutions are fully implemented. As government, in general, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, in particular, we must ensure that all our people have a legal identity, but we can only do that effectively if we have the right infrastructure in place,” Kawana pointed
out. As government forge ahead with building infrastructure with a view of taking services closer to the people, the minister mentioned that in addition to the successful turnaround strategy and the many customer-focused initiatives implemented by the ministry, the Cabinet has approved the introduction of electronic IDs.
These IDs will have a chip embedded between the layers of the card, which will contain the personal information of the cardholder and provide multiple uses through identification, authentication and digital signature for electronic transactions.
He noted that designated staff members of the ministry will provide further details through various media platforms on the features and advantages of the electronic ID.
“We need to invest, as public sector, in basic infrastructure that will positively make a long-term impact on service provision,” he said.
Birth registration is a universal human right as per the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as stipulated under Article 7, which states, “The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents”.
The process of registering children immediately after birth is crucial to ensure that children can access essential health services as well as other social services.
– anakale@nepc.com.na