Siele advises Batswana to use temporary travel documents
AMOGELANG GAEFHELE
Correspondent
FRANCISTOWN: Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele has advised the public to use emergency traveling documents.
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He said those who do not frequently travel outside the country can especially use the document instead of applying for a passport. Addressing Kgotla meetings in the villages of Jackalas Two and Ramokgwebana in the North East District on Friday, Siele said the soon to be introduced electronic passport, popularly known as the e-passport, will cost P260 with a validity period of 10 years. The minister said he has been receiving a lot of complaints that the e-passport is expensive. However, he said that compared to other countries, the passport is cheap in Botswana. He emphasised that in some countries the e-passport costs as much as P3,000.
He added that the e-passport is affordable because it is cheaper than a cellphone. "If one can afford a cellphone or to have even two at a time, then they can afford to get this e-passport," he said. He added that it is not mandatory for everybody to apply for the e-passport, especially those who do not frequently travel outside the country. "Quite a large number of people, especially the elderly do not travel outside the country a lot to need this passport, and I therefore advice them to resort to applying for temporary traveling documents whenever the need arises for them to cross the border," he said.
Siele said that the introduction of the e-passport phases out the local and the national passports. The local passport was used to travel to the region only and has long been outdated.
Siele said the temporary traveling document has been improved and the price increased from P10 to P12 with a validity of three months. The non e-passports will be in use until 2011 when they will be phased out. Seiele advised those whose passports will be expiring soon, to use temporary travelling documents until the e-passport is introduced. He told Batswana to desist from the tendency of being used by foreigners to gain citizenship through marriage.
He said foreigners have to go through serious scrutiny before being offered citizenship, even after getting married to Batswana.
