Botswana: Siele And Legal Immigration

allAfrica.com: Botswana: Siele And Legal Immigration

Ephraim Keoreng

22 May 2009

interview

EPHRAIM KEORENG interviews the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele, on the theft of valuable documents like passports and the cancellation of permits by his ministry and finds that vigilance is of the essence

There have been quite a number of changes at your ministry, especially with regard to passports and permits. Is it true that Batswana are in the habit of selling their passports and later claiming to have lost them?

These people don't go around selling passports in the streets. Someone will come and say I can't see my passport or I have lost it and then apply for a new one. Others will tell you their car burnt down with the passport in it. But after a while, we see the passports reported stolen being used by non-Batswana in other countries.

What measures have you taken against this?

We decided to close all the loopholes by centralising the issuance of passports. In the past, people could get passports over the counter in our different district offices in Francistown, Maun, Lobatse and other places. Passports are now issued (only) by a few people who are accountable for them.

How much were such people selling the passports to foreigners for?

We have received information that they went for as much as P20 000 per passport.

How far is the e-passport project?

It is at an advanced stage. We are in the process of computerising all ports of entry like the Sir Seretse Khama Airport and the Mmamuno, Tlokweng and Martins Drift border gates. Passports will be swiped in machines. The passports will be the size of a credit card and once you swipe it, it will reveal the particulars of the bearer. The use of e-passports is in accordance with International Civil Aviation Authority standards.

Let us talk about permits. I am told that you have been busy revoking work and residence permits for business people. Can you shed light on that?

Yes, we have cancelled a substantial number of them. The last time I checked, there were 114. At the moment, I am going through some files, which will also have to be cancelled.

What prompted the cancellations?

We realised that most of the people who said they were doing some big businesses were nowhere to be found. We searched for their businesses and found nothing until we realised that they were actually involved in some small time businesses.

Can you please give an example?

There was this man whom we gave a resident permit to claiming he was the managing director of a hardware that he also operated. During our routine checks, we found him selling mokwetjepe (offals and other poor meat boiled) in the streets in Shoshong.

Where are such people usually from?

From all over the world. And lately I have been told some go around selling big mirrors after claiming to have set up big companies here. We have cancelled permits for people from India, Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mozambique, Cameroon and even advanced countries like Australia.

Is this a new trend, where we see a lot of foreigners coming here under the pretext of investing in big businesses only to go into small businesses reserved for locals?

No, it's not a new thing. Actually, these 114 permits that we have cancelled have been in circulation for a long time. Some date back as far as 2004. They come and say they are investors; we give them work and residence permits.

Just like that?

We have a screening process that we subject them to, but these people are clever. Some even go to local consultants to prepare impeccable documentation that they present to our officers.

And when they are satisfactory, we give them the permits. We have now also decided to establish first that the business does exist.

Why is Botswana attracting these kinds of people?

Politically we have been stable as a country for the past four decades.

We have never had political instability. Even on the economic front, we have been doing quite well. In my view, that is why these people come here.

Have you had situations where you had to turn away big foreign investors?

The President (Ian Khama), the foreign affairs minister (Phandu Skelemani) and other government officials go outside to try to lure investors here. We don't normally turn away big investors. We have to be careful. There is a big problem of money laundering worldwide. Someone can set up a small tuckshop pretending to be selling groceries whereas he is a drug dealer.

How thorough are you in your searches at the border?

People are very intelligent. I am told some put drugs inside tyres and even inside shoe soles. Our officers have the power to search and they do search. But they are dealing with very ingenious people.

It should not be the responsibility of the ministry or the government alone; it should be the whole nation, especially the media, to tip us off wherever they see the law being broken.