Tankiso Motipi

Tankiso Motipi is a Civil Registration Officer under the Department of National Identity and Civil Registry (NICR). She is a lawyer by profession and also a human rights advocate. She is Vice President for Young Women Lesotho, an NGO that deals specifically with young women’s rights and their challenges. She has seven years experience in the public sector and with non-governmental organizations at the grassroots level. Tankiso initiates community mobilization activities, outreaches and campaigns on women’s rights and has extensive skill in advocacy and lobbying. For the past four years, she has been a public officer working in identity management for NICR. She is one of the pioneers of credible civil registration in the Kingdom of Lesotho and oversees the registration of all vital events as well as assessing the eligibility of all national identity cards applicants in Lesotho. She is committed to ensuring that the fundamental human rights of all Basotho and non-Basotho residing in the country are protected through the issuance of their identity documents and holds registration and advocacy campaigns even beyond the Lesotho borders. She has developed a vast skill in human resources management as she leads a team of 100 staff members in the Department. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Tankiso plans to strengthen her abilities and those of her team in providing high standard service to all Basotho who solely depend on NICR for the most crucial document in their livelihoods: a National Identity Card. She also plans to continue her work as a human rights activist, ensuring that Young Women Lesotho is one of the leaders in protecting the rights of women.