Mohloai Mpesi
THE National Identity Card (Amendment) Bill 2024, which aims to halt the expiration of identity cards, did not proceed to its second reading in the National Assembly earlier this week.
The Bill, introduced by Thabiso Lekitla, a Democratic Congress (DC) legislator from Mekaling, as a private member’s Bill, seeks to amend the National Identity Cards Act of 2011 to remove the expiration period for identity cards and to extend the validity of expired identity cards until the minister responsible, officially declares them invalid through a notice in the government gazette.
However, the Bill did not advance to the second reading because the Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs, and Police, Lebona Lephema, indicated that further discussions with Mr Lekitla were necessary to clarify the Amendment before it could be approved.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Tlohang Sekhamane, then invoked the provisions of Standing Order number 41 to suspend the Bill, allowing additional time for further consultations as proposed by Mr Lephema.
In arguing for his Bill, Mr Lekitla said all countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) now issued identification documents that did not expire, except Lesotho.
He expressed concern about expiring IDs, calling the practice unfair and harmful. He said it primarily benefited the countries that produced these documents and the companies that won contracts to make them, rather than serving Basotho.
He mentioned South Africa as a positive example. The country had stopped using expiring IDs and now issued smart IDs that did not expire.
He said he had learned that South Africa had already issued non-expiring IDs to 21 million citizens and planned to distribute 2.5 million more this year.
Mr Lekitla also referred to Tanzania, which issues national IDs that do not expire, among others.
He also blasted Mr Lephema for incompetence, saying the minister was failing to effectively issue IDs and passports to citizens, creating massive inconveniences for them.
He cited the example of one Tṧepang Masilo, a child who was forced to have his leg amputated because he could not get his scheduled medical help in South Africa due to lack of travel documents.
For his part, Mr Lephema expressed his sincere appreciation for Mr Lekitla’s “commendable efforts” in addressing the challenges faced by Basotho.
He then proposed that the motion be postponed to allow for further consultations and opportunities to learn from other countries on the best practises and safety measures for issuing non-expiring ID cards.
