Identity Cards to go digital - Minister Mokgethi
Very soon you will no longer have to photocopy your Identity Card, let alone certify it - that is if plans by Labour and Home Affairs ministry to create an electronic identification document come to pass.
Minister Annah Mokgethi, who doubles as Member of Parliament for Gaborone Bonnington North says this is an electronic form of an ID through which all sectors of government and private organisations such as banks will interface with the ministry of home affairs in terms of getting information that is found on the ID.
Mokgethi said it will be the end of certifying copies of ID as electronically, the information will be able to be accessed by those departments in their systems.
Furthermore, applications for O Mang, Passport, registration of societies and marriages will move online in order to speed up the time it takes for getting services from the ministry.
Mokgethi revealed that her ministry has faced challenges to get Teslin paper which is used in the printing of Identity documents.
She noted, however, that from now onwards, they believe such challenges will be a thing of the past, as they have managed to sort out issues that caused the delay of issuance of such certificates.
“The recent launch of the usage of IDs to cross the borders was a clear testament of our advancement efforts,” Mokgethi said, adding that it is faster to cross the border with an ID card than with a passport.
She noted that the one-stop-border post at Mamuno border post will soon be launched to help ease how people cross in and out of the country.
Mokgethi also revealed to her constituents that she is taking a bill to Parliament in the July sitting that will seek to close the gap in the labour industry. She said that some organisations take advantage of workers.
Some employers in the private sector are said to be vehemently against the unionisation of workers to the point that they fire them when they want to unionise.
Mokgethi noted that the commissioner of labour would be further empowered to intervene in such matters.