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.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security (MoHAISS) has concluded a five-day outreach program in which residents in the Zambezi Region have been applying for duplicate identity cards.

The exercise targeted inhabitants along the Chobe and surrounding areas of Nakabolelwa, Ngoma, Ioma, Mutikitila, and Ibbu to allow them a chance to apply for new ID duplicates free of charge.

President Hage Geingob says Namibia has attracted foreign direct investment worth N$13.2 billion, or 7.2% of its gross domestic product, during the first nine months of 2022.
 
Dr. Geingob revealed this when he delivered the State of the Nation Address today (Thursday).

He says FDI attractions have been the highest year-on-year growth Namibia has witnessed since 2015, primarily driven by equity injections for exploration activities following the offshore oil discoveries.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security (MoHAISS) has dismissed information circulating on social media alleging favoritism in the issuance of Namibian citizenship and permits to foreign nationals who purchased residential property in the "Presidents Links Estate" at Walvis Bay.

In a statement, the Home Affairs Ministry says it welcomes investment into the country and issues qualified foreign investors with relevant permits in line with laws and procedures.

Some of those who fled Angola's protracted civil war and have been living in Namibia for more than twenty years still remain without national documents.

This group of people, mostly the Ovazemba communities found in the Kunene Region, were displaced by the civil war in that country and remain stateless in Namibia.

Historians have found that they are among the San, including other sub-tribes of the Ovaherero, who were the original inhabitants of Namibia.

The public can now apply for passports and short-term employment permits (work visas) online.

The service will be available on the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security's website at https://eservices.mhaiss.gov.na.

The service was launched under the theme "Moving to a Digital World."

The Executive Director in the Ministry, Etienne Maritz, noted that their clients lose valuable time by spending time in long queues trying to apply for these documents. Hence, this will improve service delivery in the ministry.