My colleague, Deputy Minister, Honourable Mr Njabulo Nzuza

Home Affairs Acting Director General Mr Jackson Mckay

Home Affairs Deputy Director General for Civic Services Mr Thomas Sigama

Members of the media

Fellow citizens

Good morning and thank you for making time to engage with us as we outline services which are offered by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) under Alert Level 2 of the lockdown. The services resumed on 26 August 2020 after the Directions authorising the provision of these services was gazetted.

The Deputy Minister and I work closely with the Department to constantly review the services which can be resumed safely in line with the Disaster Regulations and health protocols in place.

As a way of balancing the need to offer critical enabling documents to citizens, Directions providing for the following additional services was issued on Tuesday, 25 August 2020: 

●        All Temporary Identity Certificates issued during the period of the National State of Disaster that have not yet expired on the date of commencement of this Directions, are hereby extended up to 31 October 2020;

●        Applications for Identity Cards or Green Barcoded Identity Documents by persons who have been issued with a Temporary Identity Certificate during the National State of Disaster, which certificates have expired;

●        Applications for first issue of Identity Card or Green Barcoded Identity Document;

●        Applications for amendments of personal particulars;

●        Applications for rectification of personal particulars.

 

In the period between 27 March 2020 and 21 August 2020, the Department issued 347 787 Temporary ID Certificates. Gauteng accounted for most of these TICs and has issued 92 597.

Of the total issued TICs, 65 129 have expired. Holders of these expired TICs are now eligible to apply for Smart IDs. The validity period of remaining 282 658 TICs has been extended to 31 October 2020.

On average, the Department processes one million first time applications a year, mostly from learners. The Department has received a report from the Department of Basic Education indicating that there are 637 767 learners who do not have IDs.

The Deputy Minister is leading the initiative of ensuring that learners are issued with their IDs. He will provide more details on this important work.

On average, 4 000 people a month visit our offices for amendments and rectification of personal particulars.

South Africans who are abroad and need to return to SA can apply for emergency passports.

The Department, in partnership with the banks which participate in the online system for smart ID card and passport applications has opened for collections for clients who had applied for these documents before the lockdown. This service will only be provided on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the banks’ operating hours.

People who had applied for these documents before 26 March 2020, which is the lockdown’s starting date, may collect their smart ID cards and/or passports from their selected bank branches.

Bank branches that will be re-opening for collection of smart ID cards and passports, are the following:

 

Absa Greenacres, Port Elizabeth 

Absa Sandton City 

Absa Towers, Johannesburg 

Absa Lifestyle, Centurion

FNB Lifestyle, Centurion 

FNB Menlyn, Pretoria

FNB Merchant, Sandton 

FNB Portside, Cape Town

Investec Bank Sandton 

Nedbank Arcadia 

Nedbank Constantia Kloof, Roodepoort

Nedbank Rivonia

Nedbank Nelspruit 

Nedbank St Georges Mall, Cape Town 

Standard Bank Simmonds Street

Standard Bank Canal Walk, Cape Town 

Standard Bank Killarney Mall

Standard Bank Centurion Lifestyle 

Standard Bank Kingsmead, Durban

Standard Bank Jubilee Mall, Hammanskraal 

The eHomeAffairs portal remains deactivated as new applications are still not accepted in the current level of the lockdown.

The refugee reception offices and borders throughout the county remain closed. VFS offices are open only by appointment for collection of outcomes on applications which were made before the lockdown.

During each lockdown level, we analyse the numbers of people who normally visit our offices and determine which services we can offer safely. At all time, we aim to protect the lives of our employees and citizens while ensuring access to essential services. In reality, the pandemic is still with us and we want to keep the numbers of people who could be exposed to the virus in our offices to a bare minimum.

Even when the world paused during Level 5 of the lockdown, Home Affairs didn't. We couldn't. Our people needed our services to adjust to the new normal. We kept going within the limitations caused by the Covid 19 regulations. Since the beginning of the lockdown until 21 August 2020, our committed and dedicated staff assisted more than 1.6 million people who visited our offices with crucial enabling documents.

We assisted people with the following services;

●        181 492 re-issue of replacement birth certificates, 

●        198 846 death registrations

●        347 787 Temporary ID Certificates, as indicated earlier 

●        366 988 birth registrations

●        318 812 IDs and 

●        195 474 passports, mostly for people involved in essential services

 

From the beginning of the lockdown on 27 March 2020 until Wednesday, 26 August 2020, our immigration officials assisted 839 004 people to cross our borders under the permissible conditions. Most of these people were foreign nationals who were returning to their countries and South Africans who were returning home, to South Africa. Some of these South Africans have since returned to their base countries. Other people who were assisted include those who were travelling for emergency medical evacuations.

As we resume more services, I urges everyone who will be visiting our offices and our partner banks to observe health protocols aimed at combating the spread COVID-19. They must wear face masks, maintain social distancing and adhere to all other applicable regulations. The banks had undertaken to continue doing all in their powers to protect staff and clients.

 

The Directions can be accessed via the following links: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202008/43650gon923.pdf

 

Issued by Government Communication (GCIS) on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs