Agriculture specialist Bertus Kruger has called on the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, and Safety and Security to ensure foreign experts in food security projects receive renewed work visas promptly, warning that delays could disrupt vital initiatives.
Kruger says the agricultural sector relies heavily on foreign advisers from Angola, Zimbabwe and the European Union, who are employed on a contract basis to carry out key functions on projects aimed at improving the well-being of locals.
Kruger was speaking to The Namibian yesterday, following the home affairs ministry’s extension of the amnesty.
“Even now we are working on an agriculture project with Angolan experts. I can not imagine what will happen if they can no longer work in Namibia to provide their expertise,” he said.
Kruger worked for the agriculture ministry, before joining the private sector. He also served as an executive member of the Namibia National Farmers Union.
“From the time I worked for the ministry to date as I’m retired, we worked with a lot of advisers from Germany, France and Angola,” he said.
“The amnesty is commendable but should be finalised and new work visas obtained so that projects are not affected.”
The home affairs ministry has extended a one-month amnesty programme, allowing foreign nationals who have overstayed their immigration permit visas to leave the country voluntarily between 16 and 20 January.
In a public notice issued last December the ministry said the amnesty took effect on 15 December and was set to end on 16 January.
“By this notice, the public and foreign nationals are hereby informed that the period of the amnesty has been extended to 20 January,” the ministry said recently.
It noted that this extension provides additional time and opportunity for foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas to come forward voluntarily and regularise their status by exiting the country, without the risk of arrest, detention, prosecution, penalties, or administrative sanctions related to overstay offences.
Ministry of Health and Social Services spokesperson Walters Kamaya has urged all ministries to ensure that the immigration status of foreign nationals employed by them is legal, warning that ministries could be held accountable if their foreign experts are found to be in the country illegally.
Kamaya says the health ministry’s human resource department is responsible for assisting foreign doctors employed by the ministry in obtaining the required work documents before assuming their duties.
“We facilitate the process of obtaining work permits on behalf of foreign doctors the ministry employs.
Upon the expiration of their contracts we repatriate them ourselves because we do not want to be faulted,” Kamaya says.
He says allowing unauthorised doctors in the country risks the lives of citizens and could render the ministry liable under immigration law.
“As such, all concerned individuals are strongly encouraged to make use of this extended period to report themselves at the nearest immigration office or border post for guidance on exit procedures before the amnesty expires on 20 January,” the home affairs ministry said.
It added that no further extension will be granted and failure to comply within the current amnesty period will result in law enforcement action.
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