Pretoria - The impact of Tuesday's public servants strike on services at Home Affairs has been minimal, according to the department.
A little more than 11 percent of Home Affairs staff participated in the strike.
Public servants affiliated to Cosatu downed tools on Tuesday. They took to the streets and marched to Parliament in Cape Town and the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
The strike came after COSATU Public Service Unions and the Independent Labour Caucus last week rejected the revised offer tabled by government at the Public Service Bargaining and Co-ordinating Council.
The revised offer included a 7% increase, an unchanged housing allowance of R630 and a fixed pay progression of 1.5 %. This amounts to a total average contribution of 9% for public servants at salary level 1 to 12.
Of the 10 735 Home Affairs employees in the immigration, civics and support services countrywide, just 1 191 employees did not report for work on Tuesday - most of them from Gauteng.
The department said only four of its 380 offices closed down temporarily on Tuesday as a result of the strike. These were in Cradock, Mthatha, Piet Retief and Nelspruit.
No major disruptions were reported at the ports of entry or airports. Contingency plans at the country's major airports also ensured minimal disruptions to services rendered to those travelling in and out of the country, Home Affairs said.
"Home Affairs assures the general public that immigration and civic services will continue uninterrupted for the duration of the strike action to ensure both the citizenry and foreigners travelling in and out of the country are not impacted negatively by the strike action," the department added.
The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), meanwhile, is still studying the impact of the strike.
"We will have to analyse the report from the strike management team. As soon as that is finalized, we will have an indication of the impact of the strike," DPSA spokesman Dumisani Nkwamba said.
