Elites exploit resources: Nekundi

• By Allexer Namundjembo

Deputy works and Transport Minister and Member of Parliament Veikko Nekundi said that Namibian Citizenship is easily accessible to wealthy foreigners compared to poor Africans.

Nekundi said the country’s citizenship is easily accessible to Europeans, Americans and other elites from Africa and across the world just to come and exploit our natural resources.

Nekundi gave his views on the regularization of the status of particular residents of Namibia, their descendants, and the Foreign Spouse Bill, tabled by Home Affairs Minister Albert Kawana, which seeks Namibian Citizenship for the South West African ID holders.

In his bill, Kawana proposed that those who have lived in Namibia for so long and have no intentions of returning to their countries of origin and have SWA IDs must be granted Namibian citizenship. 

This move will apply to their spouses, who may be foreigners.

 ‘’Those people who have been living in Namibia for so long and have SWA IDs and have not returned to their countries of birth or have no records of their country of birth will be considered to be awarded Namibian citizenship,’’ Kawana said

He added that the ministry’s record shows that 600,000 SWA IDs were issued between 1979 and 1990, and many holders have not been issued with Namibian IDs since 1990.

Kabana suggested that SWA ID holders should acquire citizenship by naturalization, which will apply to descendants born outside South West Africa/ Namibia. 

In contrast, those born in South West Africa will acquire Namibian citizenship by birth, while their foreign spouses will acquire Namibian spouses by marriage.

‘’Foreign spouses of SWA ID holders are eligible to acquire Namibian citizenship under the bill once passed into law if they are married to a Namibian national in civil marriage or customary marriage which is entered into good faith, spouses have been residing in Namibia as the spouse of the SWA ID holder for a continuous period of not less than ten years,’’ Kawana suggested.

Nekundi said SWA ID holders may be granted citizenship, provided their spouses are well examined. 

He told elites from across the world and Africa to apply for Namibian Citizenship/ marry Namibians for citizenship not because they love the country but because they want to exploit our natural resources.

‘’Look at what happened in Zimbabwe. 

Many elites from across the world were there exploiting Zimbabwe’s natural resources, but when things went sour, they left. 

“As a country, we need to start accessing those foreigners who are marrying our Namibian citizens not to be automatically granted citizenship,’’ Nekundi said.

Nekundi added that European countries do not automatically grant citizenship to those marrying their citizens, which should apply in Namibia.

 ‘’In European Countries, one will go through many processes to be granted citizenship, but here our laws are lame; I think we should also start being serious with this to avoid exploiters,’’ Nekundi said.