Maseru, June 02 — The Ministry of Home Affairs and Police has intensified its outreach programme by conducting house visits to elderly people and persons with disabilities to assist them in obtaining National Identity Cards.
In an interview with the Agency, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs. ’Marelebohile Mothibeli, said the initiative is aimed at ensuring that no Mosotho is left behind in accessing essential government services.
She said the programme was introduced to address challenges faced by vulnerable groups who are often unable to travel to service centres due to old age, illness, disability or mobility constraints.
Mrs. Mothibeli explained that the National Identity Card is an important document that enables citizens to access services including social protection programmes, banking services, healthcare and voter registration.
She said the ministry recognised that some Basotho continue to face barriers in obtaining the document, hence the decision to bring services to their homes.
“The ministry is committed to ensuring that every eligible Mosotho has access to a National Identity Card regardless of their physical condition or location. We understand that some elderly people and persons with disabilities cannot travel to our offices, and this outreach programme is intended to bridge that gap,” she said.
Mrs. Mothibeli indicated that ministry teams are deployed to different communities to register applicants, capture biometric information and process applications from beneficiaries’ homes.
She said the initiative forms part of the government’s broader efforts to improve service delivery and promote inclusivity by ensuring equal access to public services for all citizens.
She further noted that the ministry works closely with local authorities, community councils, chiefs and family members to identify individuals who require assistance and arrange visits accordingly.
“We encourage communities to help identify elderly people and persons with disabilities who have not yet obtained their identity cards so that our teams can reach them. Community participation is very important in ensuring the success of this programme,” she added…
NT/BM
