Namibia: Over 50 000 without national documents in Kavango
Published: 20/Jun/2023
Source: The Namibian
By Petrus Muronga
Stateless and undocumented people living in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions have called on the government to speed up registering them, accusing the Rundu regional office of delaying the process.
The two Kavango regions have the highest number of stateless and undocumented people in the country.
An undocumented or stateless person is someone without national documents, who is not considered a national of any country.
With no legal national document, people are unable to access vital basic services such as enrolling in school, getting employment legally or accessing public services and healthcare. They are also unable to obtain travel documents, get married or access social grants and other schemes that offer government assistance. This leaves them vulnerable and open to exploitation.
The Kavango East region has a total of 30 036 undocumented residents, with 21 630 in the Kavango West region.
This is according to a report from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security.
The Kavango East region has the highest number of undocumented people, followed by the Omusati region with 25 421 and Kavango West, while the //Kharas region has the lowest number of undocumented residents, with 281.
Currently, there are 141 048 stateless and undocumented people in the country.
A group calling themselves the Undocumented Residents of Kavango East and West Concerned Group took part in a demonstration on Friday.
Read further: https://www.namibian.com.na/over-50-000-without-national-documents-in-kavango/