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South Africa: Parliament Seeks to Ban Cellphone use by Home Affairs Frontline Staff

Source: SABC, 14/01/2019


Committee Chairperson Hlomani Chauke says the committee will ask the
Minister to urgently come up with new regulations to implement the
banning of cell-phone usage during working hours.
“It is unacceptable that the public spend excessive amounts of time
at Home Affairs offices, while officials spend a disproportionate
amount of time busy with their cell phones. Officials are primarily
employed to offer a service and the complaints point to dereliction
of duty by some officials, yet they continue to draw a salary at the
end of the month,” Chauke said.
Chauke says they have received numerous complaints from members of
the public. He says an oversight visit has also revealed that the
problem is found at various critical home affairs offices and at
ports of entry.
“We have observed that it has happened many times in the ports of
entry, at the airport, we always find that the behaviour of the
officials is really unbecoming and therefore we are making a call as
Parliament from the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, that the
Minister urgently consider regulations that bans the use of or
handling of cellphones during working hours in particular at the
front line of the Department of Home Affairs, same applies with this
things of visas and permits. Those offices are very critical , â€`
that’s where you interact with members of the public directly and we
believe again that these things (cell-phones) are used, â€` operating
with syndicates from outside the Department of Home Affairs.”


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