Permanent secretary in the ministry, Ms Segakweng Tsiane said this when addressing a staff meeting in Gaborone this week.
"Corruption seems to have taken center stage in this ministry and I can
assure you that we are fighting day in and out to stop this unlawful
act," said Ms Tsiane.
She also highlighted that her ministry is aware of the fact that some
employees are helping non-citizens to obtain passports unlawfully.
"Due to an alarming passport theft in immigration offices, the ministry
has decided to stop with immediate effect all passport production in
districts and move this service to Gaborone where they can easily be
monitored," she siad.
Ms Tsiane apologised to all those who have been affected by this move.
And, she appealed to the public to take care of their passports, as
failure to do so would lead to them parting with P1 000 to secure
another passport.
"The government is spending over P30 in producing every passport,
therefore passport holders should take full responsibility over this
precious document" said Ms Tsiane.
According to Ms Tsiane there are some immigration officers who assist
foreigners to illegally extend their period of stay in Botswana. She
also mentioned that the issuing of illegal work and residential
permits, is also a matter of concern and her ministry is working round
the clock to bring the situation under control.
Ms Tsiane also lamented that there are officers who assist some people
illegally to acquire false death certificates to the extent that
someone can use five different death certificates to claim money from
the insurance companies.
On the issue of discipline, Ms Tsiane expressed concern about the
language that some officers often use when dealing with the customers
adding that officers must distinguish between the decent official
language and the street language.
She urged the supervisors to take performance management seriously at
all times as it can motivate subordinates to work hard to achieve the
ministry’s goals and objectives as well as deliver excellent customer
service.
When addressing the issue of transfers, Ms Tsiane said that transfer is
not a form of punishment as some people believe but it is rather a way
of sending someone where her services are mostly needed and would be
fully utilised for the benefit of the local community, who they are
assigned to serve.BOPAÂ
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