Maria David
THE Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security has warned the public to be on the lookout for an ongoing syndicate producing and selling counterfeit Namibian birth certificates and IDs.
The Ministry’s Executive Director Etienne Martz, in a statement, said this illegal activity undermines the integrity of national documents and poses a threat to national security.
Martz reminded the public that services such as the first registration of birth and application for identification documents are provided free of charge by the Ministry.
“We, therefore, urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to the production or distribution of fake national documents to the nearest law enforcement authorities or the Ministry,” he said.
Martz assured the public that the Ministry has the capacity to verify the authenticity of national documents and added that individuals involved in the production or use of counterfeit documents are committing an offense and will be prosecuted accordingly.
Moreover, Martz recently indicated that the Ministry has successfully registered over 50,000 people for birth certificates and identity documents through the ongoing National Mass Registration Campaign.
He also revealed that a total of 7,332 applicants were registered as stateless and undocumented, as they could not provide any documentary proof indicating that they are citizens of any country at the time of registration.
The mass registration campaign commenced on 5th February 2024 and has received widespread participation across all 14 regions of the country.
