The police are stepping up their commitment to provide safety and security with the inauguration of a new police station at Endola in the Endola constituency of the Ohangwena Region.

The police station, which was constructed for N$42.5 million, is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security's efforts to bring services closer to the people.

Minister Albert Kawana says that the new facility, which is equipped with modern technology and 18 uniformed personnel, has all the tools needed to combat crime. 

A family from Windhoek's Hakahana Residential Area, who lost their national documents in a shack fire this month, were issued with new national documents at no cost by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security in Windhoek.

Recalling the ordeal which happened on Independence Day, 33-year-old Fransina Hamunyela says no one was at home at the time of the fire.

They lost most of their belongings and documents in the blaze.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security has missed its performance target. 

The Head of Performance, Assurance Monitoring, and Evaluation Directorate in the Namibia Correctional Service therefore called on the ministry's staff to take the performance agreement system (PMS) seriously. 

Speaking at the Ministerial Annual Planning Workshop, Commissioner Lovisa Uukelo said more still needs to be done by the ministry to reach the 80% performance target as outlined by the Harambee Prosperity Plan II. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security started with its outreach programme for the distribution of national documents in the Kavango East Region.

The programme aims to issue a national document to people in outlying areas who face challenges travelling to Rundu for services. 

The first outreach programme for 2024 started on February 19th and ended on March 4th.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security will conduct an outreach programme in all regions for the registration of national documents from February 5th until July.

This will include the registration of births of all ages, applications for duplicate birth certificates, applications for identity documents, and applications for duplicate IDs.

The ministry says these documents not only provide a sense of belonging but also establish a person's legal identity, which is necessary to access services like education, employment, and social grants.

At the year-end function of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Minister Dr. Albert Kawana commended the collaborative efforts of different departments in advancing the ministry's objectives.

Highlighting the ministry's achievements, Dr. Kawana emphasised the role of visionary leadership, the exceptional service of officers, and the unwavering dedication of the team, which together ensure the smooth functioning of the ministry's critical operations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security is expected to table a bill in the National Assembly next month that aims to address the issue of stateless or undocumented individuals in Namibia.

Currently, there are more than 140,000 stateless and undocumented individuals residing in Namibia, and Deputy Minister Dr. Daniel Kashikola says the primary objective of the proposed legislation is to reduce this number to zero.

This, he says, is in line with the UN's convention on the eradication of statelessness.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security says it will comply with the Supreme Court's judgement on same-sex marriages.

In a statement, the Executive Director of the Ministry, Etienne Maritz, says the ministry acknowledges the independence of the courts and the finality of Supreme Court decisions.

Maritz says the ministry is currently engaged in consultations with relevant key stakeholders regarding any other legal implications that may arise from the judgement.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security (MoHAISS) is facing another court matter after it was dragged to court for refusing to issue a man with Namibian citizenship with a Namibian passport.

22-year-old Russell Kwizera was born to his Burundian refugee parents in 2002 at the Otjiwarongo State Hospital and was issued with a Namibian full birth certificate and a confirmation of birth document.

Kwizera was later issued with a Namibian identification document, which states that he is a citizen.

The Namibian government is in support of a proposal by residents of the Impalila Islands to establish a border crossing point at Macenje Harbor, between Namibia and neighboring Zambia.

Namibia's Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Dr. Albert Kawana, assured the community of the Impalila Islands during a joint visit with his Zambian counterpart, Jacob Mwiimbu.

Kawana said the crossing point is assisting residents on both sides to trade as well as providing medical services to Namibians by the Zambian authority.