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Home Affairs suspends certain services

Source: The Herald, 19/01/2021

To remedy the situation, Home Affairs offices have extended operating
hours.
â€œWe will be extending operating hours to 7pm to accommodate those
needing to register deaths and births. This will be available from
now until February 15,â€ said Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron
Motsoaledi.
The minister said since December the department has been issuing a
high number of death certificates.
The figures, he cautioned, are set to spiral further by the end of
January. He compared the deaths recorded in December 2020 saying that
in December 2018, a total of 36 826 deaths were registered and this
rose to 38 620 in December of 2019 before figures skyrocketed to 55
676 in December 2020.
â€œBut on January 4 and 5 â€` just the first working days of this year â€`
Home Affairs had already registered 10 582 deaths. If this trend
continues, thereâ€™s going to be a greater demand and it will get
worse,â€ he said.
Confronted by the grim reality, the Department has decided to
temporarily suspend certain activities and services.
â€œThis is very unfortunate but we are forced by circumstances. We were
guided by statistics. Of all the people who visit [our] offices, 29
percent are people collecting smart IDs, 16 percent are applying
afresh for smart IDs, 11 percent come to be issued birth, marriage
and death certificates while 10 percent come to apply for temporary
IDs,â€ he said.
The DHA has suspended the application for smart IDs, with the
exception of matriculants applying for IDs.
Applications for passports (except for those permitted to travel by
the Disaster Management Act regulations), marriage registration and
solemnisation of marriages are also suspended as is the collection of
IDs.
â€œI know this will be difficult but please bear with us as we save
lives. Please donâ€™t come to collect IDs unless youâ€™re specifically
invited to do so via SMS. Weâ€™ve decided to change the modality in
which we operate, we are proposing that all births and deaths be
registered at health facilities at which they took place,â€ he said
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