Etsha immgration still a headache

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
CORRESPONDENT

MAUN: Children of the Hambukushu refugees who fled the protracted Angolan civil war in the 1960's to Botswana have still not acquired Botswana citizenship.

It is reported that the affected are the youth in 13 villages of Etsha, who were born refugees 42 years ago after their parents came to Botswana.  They are still considered by government as Angolans living in Etsha; years after their parents were given Botswana citizenship.

However, they cannot attain identity documents or apply for the government schemes or get sponsorship for higher learning.  They are caught in a decade old problem that has come to be referred to in Hambukushu as 'Nyambi ne Kwatere' (god have mercy).

In 1969 about 3,300 refugees from Hambukushu tribe in southern Angola crossed into Botswana fleeing the brutal Portuguese attacks.  The Batawana chieftainship adopted them and allocated them the 13 villages of Etsha in the Okavango to settle in.

The United Nations started a feeding programme while the Botswana government dispatched agricultural experts to teach refugees crop production methods for their survival.  In 1974 many were given citizenship.

However, some could not get citizenship after their application information was gutted up in a fire that caught the residency of the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Malcolm Thomas.  There remained an outstanding 377 refugees still awaiting citizenship.  Since then complaints of residents and children without citizenship has existed in Etsha.

Speaking in North West District full council meeting recently, area councillor, Gilbert Dithinde, explained that youth are the most affected in the Etsha citizenship saga. He said the problem started when children who came with the Angolan refugees were told that they could only renounce their Angolan citizenship and apply to be Batswana at the age of 21 as per the immigration law.

However, Dithinde said many youth in question gave birth when they were at the age of 18 and 19 before reaching the age of 21.  He said this has resulted in a cycle of cases where mothers attain citizenship but their children remain Angolans.

"This problem is a vicious cycle.  It won't stop.  Unless government devises a waiver to the citizenship problem, it will always exist.

When responding, the deputy director in civil and national registration Michael Mokgoetsi said the citizenship issue in Etsha was resolved recently after a visit by former minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele.  He said all outstanding people not given citizenship were told to reapply and those qualifying were granted citizenship.

However, in an interview with The Monitor Dithinde said the problem still persisted even after the minister's visit.

According to the government state-owned Daily News report during his address on the issue in Etsha, he said the problem is worsened by lack of evidence on the status of the Etsha residents after all information was lost after fire on the UNHCHR residence.

Siele said the government is worried that there may be illegal immigrants who recently came to the area.  The paper also reported Siele saying some applications for citizenship are those of the people born between 1910 and 1930 who should have been given citizenship in 1974.

In that meeting some residents expressed concerns over not being able to access government schemes as they do not have identity documents.  Some complaints were raised that many are dying from AIDS because they cannot access the ARV treatment.

Internationally Botswana has been praised for adopting the war displaced Hambukushu refugees.

The Hambukushu are famed for bringing basket-weaving to Botswana.  Their basket creations have raised the country flag at international arts festivals such as the Black Arts festival held in Atlanta, United States of America in 1994.

Source: The Monitor/Mmegi, December 12 2011.