SA runs out of passports

[4HolerPoler]

Eisch! In the latest saga of "it's all gone," we've run out of passports. Believed to be the result of a cunning plot, hatched during the apartheid era, Home Affairs has run out of those little green books.

The home affairs department "is experiencing the biggest crisis of its existence" and a national embargo has been placed on the issuing of "normal" passports as there are no new passports available for processing. The handful of new passports still held by the department has now been reserved for "emergency cases" and may be issued only to people "who can provide a very good motivation for consideration". Even then only 30 passports are allowed to be issued per regional office in South Africa, which means that a maximum of 1 600 passports can be issued country-wide against the average of 60 000 per day. Simultaneously another crisis, especially in Gauteng, is being experienced with the availability of temporary residence permits as the permits have also not been printed and as a result were not available in regional offices.

Attie Tredoux, specialist immigration legal practitioner, who worked in a senior capacity in home affairs for many years, said on Thursday it was the first time in the country's history that "the department simply had no new passport blanks available for issuing". He pointed out that thousands of people who intended visiting England would not be able to go as England was not accepting any emergency travelling documents from South Africa.
Noksana Sibuyi, head of the department's communication directorate, said he would like to assure the public that the crisis "was receiving priority attention of officials at the highest level". "We are working full-steam to solve the problem as urgently as possible but in the meantime passports will only be issued on a priority basis." He could not give an explanation of why the situation had been allowed to develop with the stock of passport blanks running out and new ones not being printed in time. "We are presently trying to establish the reason why this came about." ;)

Die Burger, however, heard confidentially that information on the national population register, which was imperative to enable the government printer to print new passports, was "not up to date". Regarding the shortage of temporary residence permits Sibuyi said a very serious shortage did exist until quite recently but "According to my knowledge this has now been solved largely".

Plan ahead & the last one out please switch off the lights. Oh! There I go again - with no electricity, there's no need to flip the switch.

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Hurtling down the slippery slope....:rolleyes:

[George Tower]

crazy, scary and unbelieveable.......if folks can't travel just think of the cost to the airline industry and the wider business world.

Can't blame this one on the old government can they:suspect:

[south coast]

not having a passport has never stopped all our new friends visiting england and joing the dole queue...

common guys, you are all welcome, i like sharing my taxes with all!

[propspanner]

sharing your taxes???

Come on south coast, you would not even pay for a BNB for me??
Can you get me a job??

[SAT_BOSS]

Eish .....

Da Phroblemh Strhike .... Ehhhhh

Well fact is I am that color that has to work o/seas and need a Passport ...

Congrats on Da Shambles .... wish the tax department was so efficient as Home Affairs

[radioexcel]

All the fault of the apartheid regime!!! The bastarts!!!! After 12 years and they still f....kup!! Eish!!!

[Yossarian]

Toi toi! Now! Do not take this lying down. The buzzards have escrewed us agin.

[flyboy2]

February 05 2006 at 04:08PM
from:http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20060205110622600C138563
By Santosh Beharie
The government plans to start replacing all identity documents with state of the art "smart" ID cards from next year. The department of home affairs has, since 2003, been involved in a process to draft a tender for a smart ID card, which could be used as a multi-application identification card.
So advanced are the new smart cards that passports, IDs, health and social security cards, as well as banking and payment capabilities, would be combined into a single, easy-to-carry device with the guarantee that the bank manager would never see one's medical records, or the doctor your bank balance.
Department spokesperson Nkosana Mbuyi said, however, the card would initially be issued with certain identification information.
"Additional applications will have to be added to the card at a later stage, once further investigations have been completed," he said. Since the cabinet had approved the home affairs National Identification System in 1996, the process had been "work in progress".
"There are still several sensitive policy issues to sort out. If all goes well, this should be complete by next year. Last year it was proposed the department start replacing the current ID books by 2007," said Mbuyi.
The system is the ultimate product of the struggle against crime. It would see every person's fingerprints become automated, under the Automated Fingerprinting Identity System.
The new system would offer enormous benefits to the state through a structured, multi-level identification service, said Mbuyi.
"First, the system will restrict persons to a single unique identity number which will be used as a key to identify individuals on numerous systems used within the public and private sectors. The identity card will allow three levels of verification to ensure that the person is who he or she claims to be.
"This verification service will be used extensively whenever a government grant or other service is required by an individual. To this extent, it is expected that identification will ensure proper governance within the pension payment, unemployment and health systems, and many more," said Mbuyi.
The major functions include:
Establishing an automated citizen identification system;
Management of the development and maintenance of an automated fingerprint service;
Management of the development and maintenance of an automated ID-card production facility;
Rendering a technical advice service for identification systems.
Around the world, governments are embracing smart card-based solutions in a bid to make their borders, buildings and services more secure and efficient. While the US has set the pace with its Visa Waiver initiative, Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom are also preparing to issue electronic passports in the next year.
Closer to home, all ports of entry are also in line for a major overhaul to become compatible with electronic systems.
Vic Ritson, General Manager of Philips Semiconductors South Africa, said, "The trend worldwide is to implement e-passports to reduce fraud and forgery of travel documents, ultimately improving security for travellers. It is therefore inevitable, and critical, that South Africa follows suit, and the sooner the better."
This article was originally published on page 19 of Tribune on February 05, 2006

[Solid Rust Twotter]

What an absolute load of toss. They try to justify their cock ups with lies. What trend toward e-passports?:*

The SA govt can't even supply paper passports and now they want to change the whole system at a cost of billions (including kickbacks) to technology that hasn't been tested and proven yet and has little chance of working in rural areas.

Bill for govt excess to be footed by the taxpayer again as usual.....:rolleyes: :hmm:

[Skaz]

eh Sipho...her eis youra smaaart caaard passapooort, dont break eit:ok:

[Yossarian]

Amazing how every Third World country is so desperate to act like a First World one that they implement policies of the tiniest significance at the biggest cost instead of spending that money on something that might actually benefit the people and really move it forwards.

It is like a kid desperate to seem grown up. Just because you have mom's make-up on, doesn't mean you are an adult. :yuk:

[organ donor]

[QUOTE]The department of home affairs said on Friday it had never placed any embargo on the issuing of passports and had not run out of paper for passports.

It was reacting to news reports on Friday saying that no new passport blanks were available for processing.

The Witness quoted immigration lawyer Attie Tredoux as saying: "This is shocking and a national crisis."

Tredoux, a former senior home affairs official, said it was the first time in the country's history that the department had run out of passport blanks.

Claim 'cannot be sustained'
The department said in reaction on Friday evening that "the claim that there is a crisis in the issuing of passports cannot be sustained.

"Accordingly, we have been and continue to print passports as expected in order to afford South Africans an opportunity to travel to other countries."
In addition, the department would on Tuesday receive a consignment of 300 000 end papers for the printing of passports.

Another consignment of 600 000 would be delivered to the department in June.

"It is our firm belief that this consignment will further assist us to produce passports and provide them to their rightful owners." - Sapa

[MercenaryAli]

No wonder the continent is going down the toilet! Cannot even print a passport? Nuff said!

[B Sousa]

Cannot even print a passport? Nuff said!

Plenty are printed, depends on how much you want to pay for one or more...

[exjet]

Sorry Guys. I contributed to the shortage.

I ordered my new passport on 6 January and duly arrived on 18 Mar to collect. Only to find that they issued the normal size and not the 'maxi' as ordered. The brand new passport was then cancelled - back to the 12 week wait!! - and NO pages left in other 2 passports!

[oldplane]

I Ordered my maxi passport at end of March and collected it on the 26th April, no hassles at all - Krugersdorp home affairs office - friendly and the ever efficient Mrs Williams always helps out those in the aviation world:D

[ccman]

Sipho: "Eish, i actually need a new passaport"

Official:"Aikona, whee donnat havaa dee neew passaport"

Sipho: "aauw, what happen" ??

Official: "We used dee printer too printa soome more moony for government to buy new cars and houses for them"

Sipho: "Eish !!!"

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Well, it appears to be unsubstantiated as the govt has now denied the shortage, according to Organ Donor.

Another case of journalists shagging the cat? Nothing new then.....:hmm: