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Affairs Weekly Media briefing by Director-General Mkuseli Apleni
We take
this opportunity to extend our best wishes and compliments to all members of
the media present with us during this weekly media briefing. As our invitation
would have indicated, our media briefing today will focus on three main issues
namely Home Affairs plans in support of the voter registration weekend of 8-9
February 2014, the mass roll-out plan for the Smart ID cards and misinformation
regarding Home Affairs job opportunities for matriculants.
PLANS FOR
VOTER REGISTRATION WEEKEND -8-9 FEB 2014
The
Independent Electoral Commission has set aside the weekend of 8-9 February 2014
as the second voter registration weekend ahead of the national elections
scheduled for later this year. Arising from this determination by the IEC,
Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor has directed the department to develop
plans in support of the IEC during the voter registration weekend.
The
Department’s support for the IEC arises from its mandate to deliver enabling
documents such as IDs to those citizens that may require them for voter
registration purposes ahead of the national and provincial elections. IDs are
an important element that enables the citizenry to exercise its democratic
right to vote.
In this
regard, the Department of Home Affairs stands ready to issue IDs including
delivery of uncollected IDs and Temporary Identity Certificates to those in
need.
As part
of the overall plan of the department for the voter registration weekend and in
keeping with past practices, we have directed managers in all Home Affairs
offices across the country to ensure the following:
1. All home
Affairs offices to be opened from 08h00-17h00 on both days 8-9 February
2. That all Home Affairs
offices operate to full capacity during the two-day voter registration weekend.
We take
this opportunity to advise the public that in agreement with the IEC, both the
green bar-coded IDs and the smart ID cards will be acceptable as legal forms of
identity for purposes of registration and voting during the elections.
As in the
previous voter registration weekend, we have directed that the DG, Chief
Operating Officer and all other Deputy Directors-General visit all provinces in
accordance with our internal deployment processes to help co-ordinate and
oversee the work of the provinces during the weekend. The programme of the
Ministry in support of this process will be communicated in due course.
We join
the call by the IEC for those South Africans who are eligible to vote to take
advantage of the voter registration weekend to approach Home Affairs offices
across the country for assistance in acquiring these enabling documents to
exercise their democratic right to vote in this year that marks the 20 years
since the dawn of peace, freedom and democracy
MASS ROLL
OUT OF THE SMART ID CARDS
As you
may very well be aware, Minister Naledi Pandor has announced that the
department stands ready to roll-out the smart ID cards to the public with
effect from 01 February 2014. In this regard, the department has successfully
revamped 28 offices across the country to facilitate applications for the Smart
ID cards.
We
reiterate our view that the Smart ID card is one of the major achievements of
the 20 years of our democracy and comes within the context of efforts by the
government to consolidate the restoration of identity, citizenship and dignity
to all our people.
In this
regard and with effect from 01 February 2014, the department stands ready to
take applications for the smart ID cards to the following categories:
1. 16 year
old and above first time applicants can apply any month of the year
2. 60 year
old pensioners born during January and February must approach home affairs
offices during the month of February to apply
3. From
March this year, 60 year olds and above can now apply in accordance with
their months of birth
4. All other
citizens should wait for invitations to apply
At this
stage, applications for the Smart ID card can only be made at the following
offices:
Gauteng
Soweto; Akasia and Byron Place in
Pretoria; Harrison Street in Johannesburg
Limpopo
Jane Furse, Polokwane and Tzaneen
North West
Potchefstroom, Rustenburg and
Klerksdorp
Mpumalanga
Nelspruit, Middleburg and
Emalahleni
Free State
Bloemfontein, Kroonstad and
Welkom
Northern Cape
Kimberley, Kuruman and Upington
KZN
Mtubatuba, Durban-commercial and
Pietermaritzburg
Eastern Cape
Port Elizabeth, Mthatha and King
Williamstown
Western Cape
Wynberg, George and Barrack
Street
Remember:
1. Exercise patience as the process
of rolling out the smart cards will take a few years
2. The smart ID cards will be issued
freely to 16 year-olds first time applicants and pensioners who are 60
years and above
MISINFORMATION REGARDING JOBS FOR MATRICULANTS
The Department has noted with concern
misinformation in some social media circles claiming that the department is
offering training with prospects of employment to matriculants. The Department
wishes to put it on the record that such reports are false and devoid of truth,
with a potential to mislead young people who are desperately in need of work.
What Home Affairs has initiated through its
Learning Academy in the quest to contribute to the national drive for skills
development and fighting unemployment is a cadet programme for unemployed
graduates. The cadet programme for graduates will first run as a pilot with
effect from February 2014. In this regard the selection of prospective
candidates has been finalized.
The cadets will be taken through the Home
Affairs national certificate on home affairs services. The aim is to produce
skills and offer experience to young graduates, who may, depending on their
performance, be absorbed within our services or seek employment in other
departments and elsewhere.
The cadet programme is part of the strategy
to attract, train and introduce to the public service new officers who are
security-conscious, professional, hard-working, patriotic and endowed with the
right attitude of mind to serve the people with dignity while upholding the
principles of Batho Pele and the Constitution.
I thank you
Issued by Department of Home Affairs
909 Arcadia Street
Pretoria
0001
30 January 2014
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