Director-General Mkuseli Apleni on Home Affairs plans for festive period

Source: Department of Home Affairs, 02/12/2015

Extension of office hours at ports of entry
The annual festive period which is an occasion of significance for
many people in our country and elsewhere is around the corner,
promising as always, a surge in traveller numbers.


Its impact therefore necessitates that all government departments
prepare and implement operational and contingency plans to ensure
smooth facilitation of travellers and goods by deploying additional
personnel and resources and promoting joint execution of tasks.


Accordingly, selected ports of entry will between 10 December 2015 and
14 January 2016 operate on extended hours, with additional staff and
extra resources. This will cater for the pre-festive season movement,
the post-festive season period and the re-opening of schools in the
New Year. Affected are those ports where an increase in traveller
movement is expected.


As government departments operating in the ports of entry (Health,
Agriculture, Police, Home Affairs and SARS), through the Inter-Agency
Clearing Forum, we will be deploying additional staff to the selected
ports of entry. This is to boast service delivery. Indeed we are
grateful to all officials for their dedication in this regard.


To further improve service at the ports, we are inviting Senior
Managers to volunteer for deployment, as part of their coalface
service delivery; this will ensure effective implementation of
operational plans and quick response to challenges as and when they
arise. To ensure that deployed officials are fully utilised and that
the ports are not affected by the increase in traveller volumes, we
will increase over this period the number of additional
workstations.

We have also made provision for technicians to
be deployed fulltime at all affected ports, to ensure that the systems
fully support our operations out there.


South Africa has done this with resounding success over the years,
with good results for travellers. The past festive season was one of
the most successful periods as there were very few incidents reported.
Comparative statistics provided by the Border Control Operational
Co-ordinating Committee (BCOCC) highlighted an increase of movement of
travellers on arrival at Maseru Bridge, Ficksburg, Oshoek and
Kopfontein, while Beitbridge and Lebombo figures showed a decrease in
comparison to the previous season.


The two major land ports of entry, Beitbridge and Lebombo, continue to
receive the majority of travellers during the festive period. How we
provide this service goes a long way in profiling our country to
visitors and investors. It is good for strengthening relations in the
SADC region and in presenting SA as a tourist destination of
choice.


Some of the specific roles and responsibilities to be discharged in
conjunction with relevant government departments will be to,


• Facilitate legitimate movement of persons, motorised or
non-motorised vehicles, goods and trade (cargo)


• Ensure the security of persons, property, assets, systems and
resources


• Prevent, detect, deter and control cross-border communicable
diseases, illegitimate movements, activities, trade and transactions;
and


• Support ports operations.
Ports of entry already operating 24 hours, like Beitbridge and Maseru
Bridge, are included in these special arrangements for the festive
period.


Importantly, we encourage people to travel gradually over the entire
period rather than on a single day, so that we can all be and feel
safe.


Issuing of unabridged birth certificates
We wish to remind all citizens ahead of the festive season that the
regulations specific to travelling with children have not changed.


This is to protect children, ensuring we know who is taking them out
of the country, lawfully, and with permission.


Accordingly, for all children under the age of 18 years, including
unaccompanied minors, an Unabridged Birth Certificate is still
required.


This is in addition to the requirement for valid passports, and visas
where applicable, as well as affidavits confirming parental consent to
such travel in the event that one parent is not travelling.
In the case of unaccompanied minors, in addition to a valid passport
and visa where applicable, affidavits confirming that parents have
granted permission for such travel is required, as well as the details
of the person who will be receiving the minor(s), including full
names, physical address, ID/passport numbers and the undertaking that
he or she will be receiving the child.


Specifically for the festive season, our Civic Services Branch has put
in place plans to assist those who will be travelling with children,
including for unaccompanied minors, especially around the issuance of
Unabridged Birth Certificates or letters in lieu of such.


Already there is a team in place assigned rapidly to respond to issues
regarding this essential document, and, importantly, to see to it that
the certificate is issued within the specified period.


You would know that all things being equal it takes 8 weeks to apply
for and be issued with an Unabridged Birth Certificate. Necessarily,
those who had applied would require this certificate for each
travelling child. Those whose applications had exceeded 8 weeks, and
had not received the certificates, are advised to visit their Home
Affairs office where they will be given a letter to use in the place
of the Unabridged Birth Certificate, this is, in the event that they
need to travel.


This letter, in lieu of the Unabridged Birth Certificate, can only be
issued to those people who had been waiting for the certificates for a
period exceeding 8 weeks.


Where there are problems with the application, sms messages will be
sent to the applicants concerned encouraging them immediately to go to
the office where they had applied, to receive assistance, so that
officials may issue the certificates timeously.


For children, under 18, who have passports, we have done a
pre-modification in terms of which our offices are able to issue them
with Unabridged Birth Certificates on the spot.


We will avail dedicated numbers for people to call for assistance
regarding the birth certificates–072 634 0614 / 072 634 0589 / 073 567
6208 / 073 567 5968.


Once again, I encourage our people when applying for child passports
to also apply for birth certificates. Going-forward, details of
parents will be printed in the passports, so that parents whose
particulars are printed would therefore not be required to carry birth
certificates when travelling with their children.


After April 2016, for purposes of clarity, and largely because the
distinction would have served the intended purpose, the term
"Unabridged Birth Certificate" will be changed to "Birth Certificate,"
of course containing parental details.


Successful live capture system upgrade
The changes we are making will be strengthened by the ongoing
modernisation programme. As you will recall, last week we announced
that Home Affairs will be embarking on the Live Capture System
upgrade. We have successfully carried out the upgrades, and are ready
to provide full services from tomorrow, with enhanced capacity.


In sum, enhancing operations at ports of entry in this period will
promote efficient and effective processing of travellers. We wish you,
and all citizens and clients, a joyful end-of-year, and a Happy New
Year. Safety comes first, especially on the road. I thank you!
Table 1: Extended hours at ports of entry for festive period
Port of entry Date Normal hours Extended hours Aadditional hours
Groblesbrug 24 Dec 2015, 3 & 10 Jan 2016 06h00 – 22h00 24 hours 8
hours


Lebombo 11 Dec 2015 to 10 Jan 2016 06h00 - 00h00 24 hours 6 hours


Oshoek 18 Dec 2015 - 24 Dec 2015 07h00 – 00h00 24 hours 7 hours


Mahamba 23 Dec 2015 to 24 Dec 2015 07h00-22h00 07h00 – 00h00
2hours


Mananga 12 Dec 2015 to 24 Dec 2015 07h00-18h00 07h00-20h00 2hours


Jeppes Reef 18 Dec 2015 to 24 Dec 2015 07h00-18h00 07h00 – 20h00
2hours


Qachas Nek 21 Dec 2015 to 24 Dec 2015 07h00 – 20h00 06h00 – 22h00 3
hours


25 Dec 2015 07h00 – 20h00 06h00 – 20h00 1 hour
Telle Bridge 16 Dec 2015 to 24 Dec 2015 06h00 – 22h00 05h00 – 23h00 2
hours


Caledonspoort 23 Dec 2015 06h00-22h00 06h00 – 00h00 2 hours


24 Dec 2015 06h00 – 22h00 24 hours 8 hours
03 Jan 2016 06h00-22h00 06h00 – 00h00 2 hours
Van Rooyenshek
11 Dec 2015 06h00-22h00 06h00 – 00h00 2 hours
23 Dec 2015 06h00-22h00 24 hours 8 hours
03 Jan 2016 06h00-22h00 06h00 – 00h00 2 hours
Kosi Bay 16 Dec 2015 08h00-17h00 07h00 – 18h00 2 hour


17 Dec 2015 - 18 Dec 2015 08h00 – 17h00 07h00 – 17h00 1 hours


23 Dec 2015- 24 Dec 2015 08h00 -17h00 07h00 – 18h00 2 hours


27 Dec 2015 – 29 Dec 2015 08h00 -17h00 07h00 – 17h00 1 hours


30 Dec 2015 – 31 Dec 2015 08h00 -17h00 08h00 – 18h00 1 hour


01 Jan 2016 08h00 – 17h00 07h00 – 18h00 1 hour
04 Jan 2016 - 05 Jan 2016 08h00 -17h00 07h00 – 17h00 1 hour


Golela 15 Dec 2015 to 15 Jan 2016 07h00 – 22h00 06h00 – 22h00 1
hour


Overwacht 15 Dec 2015 to 16 Dec 2015 08h00 – 18h00 08h00 – 19h00 1
hour