WITH millions of people expected to travel in and out of the province this festive season, the department of Home Affairs this week announced that it will be extending working hours at the country’s ports of entry. In a statement the department confirmed its readiness to handle increased volumes of travellers at this festive season.
“The movements we facilitate into and out of South Africa tend to peak during the festive season. In the 2017/18 festive season, a total of 8 468 262 movements was captured, comprising arrivals and departures of citizens and foreigners. Of these, 2 304 449 were citizens’ movements and 6 163 813 were foreigners’ movements,” said the Department in a statement.
In other news: Motorists urged to heed road rules on new uMhlanga bridge
In preparation for 2018/19 festive period the Information Technology (IT) team of Home Affairs is currently conducting a clean sweep operation to ensure that all IT equipment is in a good condition.
“This includes testing of all computers and scanners. The team is also setting up overflow areas for processing of travellers in Maseru Bridge, Lebombo and Beit Bridge in order to cater for the volumes expected. A team of IT support staff will remain at the high volume ports of entry from 5 December 2018 to 9 January 2019 to provide on-site support,” added the Department.
Also read: Durban municipal buildings set for R600-million repairs
The statement went on to read, “It is imperative that ports of entry are adequately prepared to facilitate traveller movement and to curb illegal movement and transgressions. Security dynamics and risks during peak periods include fraudulent documents, undocumented travellers and poor access control due to congested roads, hence we plan meticulously for ports and borderline activities with other law enforcement agencies.”
Operational hours will be extended for busy ports of entry, covering pre-festive season movements, the festive season period and the re-opening of schools. The Department of Home Affairs will deploy 425 additional staff at busiest ports.
The extended hours will start from 5 December 2018 to 9 January 2019. To view the extended hours schedule visit www.gov.za.
For more from Northglen News follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram
