Govt makes u-turn on birthright

Government has seemingly bowed to pressure after it agreed to implement a Supreme Court order to grant a child born in Namibia to a Dutch couple who are here on work permits Namibian citizenship. In a bid to circumvent the Supreme Court’s order to grant the child a birth certificate within 30 days, the home affairs ministry and the attorney-general’s office sought to amend the law in recent days. This was frowned upon by many and earlier this evening, government spokesperson Tjekero Tweya announced that Cabinet will implement the 23 June landmark ruling. “The government will comply with the Supreme Court order contained in the said judgment, and the minister of home affairs will issue a birth certificate as directed,” he said.