Pretoria – Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says his department will strive to serve the public despite the challenges posed by load shedding.
Recently, services at some Home Affairs offices have been interrupted by load shedding as Eskom moves to relieve pressure from the country’s constrained power system.
Minister Gigaba on Tuesday said the department was looking at alternative ways to ensure that services are not affected by the load shedding programme.
“We understand that many South Africans don’t apply for documents for fun, they depend on them. We are doing our very best to address the problem,” he said at the launch of the 20 Year Milestones and Achievements Book.
The book details the strides made by the department since the advent of democracy in 1994.
Minister Gigaba said the department had indeed made a lot of progress in the last two decades and this should not be undone by challenges in the power system.
“In the past 20 years, we have seen changes in the department. We have seen the department transforming itself drastically. We are happy with the progress we have made, but this is not where we want to be. We want to reassure South Africans that we are able to meet their demands,” he said.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan said the department has learnt from the challenges experienced in the past.
“We have done so much in such a short time. We are here to salute those who came before us,” she said.
Minister Gigaba also used the occasion to call on South Africans to help fight document fraud.
Smart IDs reach 1 million mark
The Minister presented a smart card ID to the millionth recipient since this type of ID was launched on Mandela Day, 18 July 2013.
Moses Vukeya Maluleke from Ivory Park in Midrand said he was excited when he received a call from Home Affairs officials telling him that he was the millionth recipient of the new smart card ID.
“I am very happy to receive my new smart card ID from the Minister himself,” said Maluleke.
Smart card IDs were officially launched on Nelson Mandela's birthday to honour his legacy. President Jacob Zuma, the then Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, former Presidents Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Winnie Madikezela Mandela, Sophie de Bruyn, Andrew Mlangeni, Dennis Goldberg and Ahmed Kathrada were the first to receive the new IDs.
Home Affairs says the use of smart cards will cut down on the fraudulent use of fake or stolen IDs, as the new cards are almost impossible to forge. – SAnews.gov.za
