Cecilia Xavier

OPUWO – Home affairs minister Albert Kawana last week inaugurated the Opuwo regional civil registrations office. During the inauguration, the minister urged officials to give efficient service delivery to the public and ensure national documents are issued to entitled citizens while refraining from corruptly issuing documents.

“National documents are a pride of any nation. In the case of Namibia, they mirror the bitter literation history of our country. Therefore, I call upon all of us to ensure national documents are only issued to those who are entitled to have them. We must adopt a zero-tolerance to those who corruptly issue such documents to people who are not entitled to possess them,” said Kawana.

The construction project was initially halted close to seven years ago and the ministry awarded the tender to a new contractor, Afrikuumba, late last year to complete the project. The project is valued at N$40 million.

“This new office demonstrates the commitment and dedication of the Namibian government in general and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration and Safety and Security, in particular, to ensure that the residents of Opuwo and indeed Kunene as a whole will receive efficient and timely civil registration and immigration in Services in a much more conducive environment,” Kawana stated.

The minister warned staff members to cease poor service delivery, adding that they should not come to work at a snail’s pace while in the same vein leaving the office early.  

The office will provide services such as identification cards, birth and deaths registration, passports, citizenship and marriage certificate.

Speaking at the same occasion, Obeth Kandjoze, director general of the National Planning Commission, asked staff members and the community to take care of the facility, stating that they should treat it as theirs.

“So, when we get this, please don’t say it is government property; it is your property. Let us protect it together,” Kandjoze said.