More than 20 years of service to the ministry of home affairs
Deputy director: Improving service for ID division
Oscar Muhapi, the deputy director for the national population register, identification and production at the ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, has been a part of the ministry’s growth and development for over 20 years. Muhapi is currently positioned in the ID department, a position he obtained after years of hard work and success. Initially, he started his home affairs journey as nothing more than a clerk, a position that is now known as an administrator.
He gradually grew within that position to senior clerk and was eventually promoted to a chief clerk. After that ranking was changed, he was promoted to control administrative officer to eventually being the current deputy director.
As the deputy director for the ID division, he takes on several duties and responsibilities, which include the overall management and coordination activities for the division; guaranteeing the development and implementation of the division’s long- and short-term strategic goals and annual plans, as well as its five-year strategic plan on civil registration. He also ensures effective case management systems and that the rules and regulations pertaining to civil registration are adhered to.
Muhapi further ensures efficient utilisation, administration and control of human resources, while also determining the operational priorities and assigning duties, when necessary; not forgetting resolving conflicts and challenges in department.
A position of this magnitude requires extreme expertise, skills and patience, among many things. This position, like any other, does come with as many obstacles as it does achievements. Muhapi shared that “working with people from different backgrounds can be challenging, especially if there are language barriers when dealing with clients”.
He added that in some instances, you may deal with clients who are not honest and will lie to get services that they are not entitled to get. Apart from that, he mentioned that dealing with some untrustworthy churches and traditional authorities also appears to be an obstacle for service providers in the ministry.
Muhapi’s resilience and dedication did not allow these obstacles to hinder him from major achievements in his career, including several awards he received during the ID4Africa movement. During 2017, he served as the deputy project manager for the international conference ID4Africa, which was hosted by the ministry from 26 to 28 April. Consequently, he served as the country ambassador for the ID4Africa movement from 2018 to 2020. Amongst his numerous achievements are being the deputy coordinator of the compilation of the ‘Namibia Identity Management System Analysis’ report, which was published by the World Bank in April 2006.
Ensuring timely processing of applications for identity documents as well as ensuring that all production systems - such as the automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS), national population registration system (NPRS) and Imago - are operational add to his long list of achievements.
His newest achievements include the launch of the new look IDs to be used as travel documents between Namibia and Botswana.
“I stayed because I enjoy my work; I enjoy working with the public, I enjoy seeing people receiving the service and being happy. I have a passion for serving people with good customer service,” Muhapi said when asked what motivates him to continue his journey with the ministry.
His advice on how to succeed in a career for over 20 years? “Always do the right thing at all times and always do your level best by all means. Consult where you are not sure. Be willing to accommodate other people’s views and be accommodative.”