THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration says the influx of passport applications during last year’s peak travel season has caused a backlog in the processing and issuing of the travel documents.
This comes in the light of complaints from the public who have been informed that they may need to wait three to four months for their passport applications to be processed and the document to be issued.
Last year, reported that passport processing and the clearing of the backlog was expected to be resolved by 30 November 2019.
Home affairs public relations officer Sakeus Kadhikwa told that the issue is caused by a backlog in the ministry because of large amounts of applications being submitted all at once, not because of a shortage of passport booklets.
“The ministry has been experiencing some downfalls whereby the public comes and applies at the last minute, between November and December especially. [This has] landed the ministry with a number of applications which has increased the workload, so we fell back on the turnaround time,” he explained.
According to Kadhikwa, the ministry has a backlog of approximately 8 000 applications.
He said the ministry is taking extra measures to ensure that people do not simply apply for passports for the sake of it, but do so when there is a need for the document.
“We have realised that there are those who are just applying but not necessarily for travel purposes. […] We are encouraging the public, those in need of a passport, to apply through our office with a letter of motivation or emergency,” he stated.
“We then look at this letter to see if the person is really in an emergency state … but we are also not refusing anyone [passports].”
He explained that this helps the ministry identify and prioritise those applicants who desperately need the travel document.
Kadhikwa detailed that there are three areas of motivation that are prioritised, namely long-haul truck drivers, patients who need to travel for medical treatment and students returning to school.
Those needing to travel for bereavement purposes are also considered as high priority.
In these instances, passports will be issued within the normal turnaround period of between two and five days.
“The ministry has come up with a strategy to clear this backlog over time. The general public just has to bear with us. Also in the future, they must apply well in advance,” he said.
When probed about alternative documents in instances of immense urgency, Kadhikwa said the ministry can issue an emergency travel certificate but only for travel to countries within the Southern African Development Community.
However, this does not include South Africa and Angola.
Briefly speaking to over the telephone, home affairs executive director Ettiene Maritz said the ministry aims to clear the backlog of applications by March.
“We’ll return to our normal turnaround time of five days by mid-March,” he stated.
Furthermore, Maritz clarified that while a motivation letter is not necessary for each passport application, proof of an emergency indicates to them when an application should be put at the top of the pile.
“Either way, everyone who has applied will get their passport,” he said.
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