WINDHOEK — In a significant legislative move, the Namibian government has proposed a bill to grant citizenship to residents holding outdated South West Africa (SWA) identification documents, addressing long-standing legal hurdles faced by thousands.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Home Affairs Minister Albert Kawana introduced the “Regularisation of Status of Certain Residents of Namibia, Their Descendants, and Foreign Spouses Bill” in the National Assembly on Monday, targeting individuals unable to secure Namibian citizenship under existing laws. “The Bill is aimed at regularizing the status of holders of South West Africa identification documents, their descendants, and their foreign spouses,” stated Kawana. This move comes as a relief to approximately 5,000 residents who, as of 2016, still possessed these old IDs, issued before Namibia’s independence.

Kawana elaborated that these individuals, some of whom have been in Namibia since before independence and have not returned to their countries of origin, face challenges such as providing a police clearance certificate from a country where they may no longer have any official records. Additionally, current laws do not allow them to take advantage of a 10-year permanent residence permit or to renounce their original citizenship as required for naturalization.

The minister highlighted the plight of these long-term residents, noting that some have been living in Namibia for nearly five decades, having arrived as early as 1978. Records show that while 600,000 ID cards were issued between 1979 and 1990, the majority of SWA ID holders have since been issued Namibian IDs.

If the bill is passed, it will enable those who have SWA IDs, their descendants, and foreign spouses to finally obtain Namibian citizenship, formalizing their status in a country they have long considered home.