Home Affairs lists urgent issues

THE Department of Home Affairs is calling on new parents to register their babies as soon as possible.

They also remind citizens to apply for the new ID Smart Card before the old green books are no longer accepted.

‘The Birth and Death Registration Act requires that all births be registered within 30 days of the birth event,’ said District Manager: Operations, Mr SCL Dlamini.

‘Failure to do so results in all sorts of challenges later, including school admission, exam registration, grant applications, bursary and scholarship requests.

‘It also poses national security challenges as the birth registration system is abused by non-citizens to fraudulently acquire RSA citizenship.

‘And in cases where parents die or disappear, it makes late registration of birth more difficult and a huge burden to the guardians of the child.’

Dlamini said in addition to providing registration services at Home Affairs offices in the King Cetshwayo District, they have gone to the extent of establishing offices at Nkandla, eShowe and Umfolozi War Memorial hospitals to assist with birth registration.

Smart cards

Dlamini also appealed to residents of the district to apply for their new ID Smart Cards before the old green bar-coded IDs become invalid – which will happen at a date yet to be announced by the Minister of Home Affairs.

‘A last minute rush will lead to long queues, absenteeism from work and resultant loss of productivity.

Smart ID cards cost R140, but are free for pensioners and first-time applicants, ie 16-year-olds.

‘The new cards have been introduced for security reasons, to eliminate fraud, corruption and challenges such as falsified marriages.’

The smart cards are available from the Empangeni, Richards Bay and eShowe offices.

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