Pretoria – Home Affairs will deploy an additional 92 staff members at OR Tambo International Airport to manage the entry and exit of travellers at Africa’s busiest airport.
The additional staff members will be stationed at the airport in Ekurhuleni from 9 December 2016 to 14 January 2017.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba on Thursday said a structured shift arrangement has been developed for the period of deployment to ensure the effective use of staff.
“It is the mandate of our department to ensure effective and secure management of immigration and to facilitate the movement of persons through OR Tambo as one of SA’s priority ports of entry.
“We anticipate, in this busy period, an upsurge in traveller movements in and out of the country, necessarily placing additional strain on limited resources, especially at primary ports of entry,” Minister Gigaba said at the airport.
In total, 255 additional staff will be deployed to all the country’s ports of entry to facilitate the smooth flow of travellers and goods.
The first five-hour shift of additional staff at OR Tambo will start at 6am and end at 11am. The second four-hour shift will start at 4pm and end at 8pm.
Minister Gigaba said the current staff at OR Tambo will continue their normal 12-hour shift from 7am to 7pm.
“In setting up the two shifts of additional staff, the department took into account the busiest periods of the day, where more personnel is required for full capacity and maximised impact.
“The two shifts of additional staff will allow for 100% capacity at the workstations, with all cubicles utilised for traveller processing during the specified peak hours. I must emphasise that this is a temporary intervention. We will still require a sustainable solution that appreciates that efficiency, through optimal staff capacity, needs to extend beyond the festive season,” he said.
Minister Gigaba reminded parents, who will be travelling with children, to be mindful of the new regulations.
For more on the regulations, visit http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/statements-speeches/621-advisory-new-requirements-for-children-travelling-through-south-african-ports-of-entry-effective-1-june-2015. – SAnews.gov.za
