San community finally obtains an ear from Govt
Thandeka Matebesi
TSHOLOTSHO – The San commuity in Tsholotsho District heaved a sigh of relief as they recently welcomed a government delegation led by the Minister of Local Government and Public works, Hon. July Moyo.
In an exclusive interview with Community Podium, Davy Ndlovu, Director of Tso-o-tso Development Trust, an organisation that is spearheading the uplifting of the Khoisan community said the community has for a long time requested government to visit and get an appreciation of issues affecting the San Community.
Topping the list of the long marginalised community’s challenges is the difficulty in accessing the all-important identity documents, which renders them stateless in a country of their origin.
“We have faced many challenges as a community, chief among them being lack of access to identification documents,” said Ndlovu.
Ndlovu cited a recent situation that arose when a member of the community died without a birth certificate and national identity card. He recounted the ordeal that fellow community members went through as they attempted to accord one of their own a decent burial. “It was a serious crisis for us as we tried to convince office bearers in order to facilitate the burial of a person without identity particulars”.
The San community in Tsholotsho took advantage of the Minister’s visit to highlight their marginalisation as a people.
In response, the Government has pledged to facilitate issuance of birth and identity documents, build schools, relax entry requirements for learners, among other reforms to enhance the inclusion of the San people in Zimbabwean society.
Addressing the media after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Hon. Monica Mutswangwa said the delegation noted that the San people lack birth certificates and identity documents, encounter high teenage pregnancies as well as very low school completion rates at primary and secondary school, and suffer food insecurity mainly due to human wildlife conflict and failure to practise modern agriculture.
“Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage should instruct the Registrar General’s Office to issue birth and identity documents to the inhabitants of San/Tjwao and similar communities in Zimbabwe who have hitherto been unable to obtain such documentation.
In that regard, all constraints relating to testimonies by parents, relatives and guardians should be wavered,” read part of the statement.
Last year the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission conducted an Inquiry on access to identity documents in Zimbabwe, Ndlovu confirmed the San Community’s participation in the inquiry.
The San population is estimated to be around 2 500, which constitutes about 22% of the total Southern Africa San population.
