Botswana: Who will the dual citizenship bill benefit?
Published: 4/Aug/2016
Source: Botswana Gazette
QUEEN MOSARWE
The Botswana Gazette understands that the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Edwin Batshu will in the near future table a bill in parliament which seeks to allow Batswana dual citizenship.
Contrary to international trends to combat dual citizenship due to its abuse by terror organizations, this bill has in Botswana, been hailed as a “good bill”. Information reaching this publication is that there are plans to fast track the bill by some “political elites” within Government Enclave to ensure that “their descendants benefit from the urgent motion”.
The proposed urgent motion is scheduled to be heard notwithstanding the fact that the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) legislator for Francistown South Wynter Molotsi was expected to table a similar motion before parliament which requests government to allow dual citizenship. The UDC motion which was number 101on the Friday 22 July 2016 Order Paper is carried over from the last parliamentary session. Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Member of Parliament Dithapelo Keorapetse has also in the same order paper notified of his motion requesting government to permit multiple citizenship.
Currently, Botswana does not allow dual citizenship. The Citizenship Act provides that a person may hold dual citizenship until immediately prior to attaining 21 years of age. According to the Act, any person who is a citizen of Botswana and also a citizen of another country will, when they attain the age of 21 years, cease to be a citizen of Botswana unless such person has, immediately before the reaching 21 years- renounced the citizenship of that other country and taken the oath of allegiance.
Read further: https://www.thegazette.news/features/who-will-the-dual-citizenship-bill-benefit/15861/