25 Aug 2024

Members of Parliament have welcomed the Refugees Recognition and Management Bill, 2024 which aims to make provision for acknowledging and managing refugees in Botswana.

The Bill seeks to repeal and amend the Refugees Recognition and Control Act of 1968.

Contributing to the debate on the Bill recently, Gaborone Bonnington North legislator, also Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Honourable Annah Mokgethi, supported the move to repeal and re-enact with amendments the Act, stating that there were numerous complexities in dealing with the recognition and management of refugees.

Minister Mokgethi emphasised the challenges faced in dealing with refugees, particularly those fleeing regions where lawlessness prevailed.

“We as a host country for refugees, we are suffering from the after effects of such people who behave with such impunity,” she said.

Citing the Democratic Republic of Congo, Minister Mokgethi highlighted how individuals traversed hostile territories to seek refuge in Botswana, attracted by the country’s humanitarian amenities, including good living conditions, proper diets, and access to health services.

However, the minister pointed out the complexities that arise when refugees enter Botswana illegally on first time basis, often encountering immigration officials and being held in prison facilities while awaiting refugee status assessments.

She stated that the Bill addressed such issues by providing a 30-day window for individuals to apply for refugee status, with assistance from immigration officers, if necessary.

“Over the years, my ministry has helped these people when they entered the country as illegal people and the first people that they encounter in Botswana are immigration officials because they would have entered the country through illegal means and would not yet have been identifies as refugees,” she said.

The Ms Mokgethi said thereafter, the person would be held at the Francistown illegal immigration centre and the situations would become complex because they were now in a prison facility.

Selebi Phikwe East MP, Mr Kgoberego Nkawana, also supported the Bill, but stressed the importance of understanding the term ‘refugee.’

Mr Nkawana argued for the relaxation of laws to allow refugees to seek employment and contribute economically to their host country.

He suggested that refugee children who excelled in their education should be granted citizenship, drawing parallels with the United States of America’s practice of integrating top international students to foster national development.

“Therefore, it is imperative for the country to have legislations and policies which allow for the integration of refugees into the society, which will ultimately make such persons proud to be living and contributing to the betterment of the country,” he said.

Jwaneng/Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile, expressed concerns about a significant omission specifically regarding the lack of provisions for stateless children.

Mr Reatile said while the Bill addressed various aspects of refugee management, it however failed to outline the future of children raised in government care, particularly those who had been supported from primary through secondary school, but not at tertiary level.

He thus emphasised the need for the legislation to address the gap to ensure continuous care and support for such vulnerable children. ENDS