Pretoria – Home Affairs has made arrangements to ensure certain services at branches are offered beyond normal working hours and South Africans can get their green ID book or smart ID cards.
Voters will need their IDs to be able to vote in the 2016 Municipal Elections on 3 August.
“The Department of Home Affairs has a constitutional mandate to ensure all South Africans, 16 years and above, acquire the necessary green barcoded identity documents or smart ID cards to enable them to access opportunities and various services that government provides,” said Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba on Tuesday.
He said in preparation for the elections, the department has extended working hours to assist those people who want to apply for their IDs.
Home Affairs offices across the country will be open on Saturday, 30 July 2016 from 8:30am to 5pm; Monday 1 August from 8.30am to 6pm; Tuesday 2 August from 8.30am to 6pm and on Election Day on Wednesday 3 August from 7am to 7pm.
Services that will be available will include the collection of green barcoded ID books and smart ID cards, and the issuance of temporary identity certificates.
“I urge citizens who have applied for ID books and smart ID cards to collect these documents from the Home Affairs offices where they had applied,” Minister Gigaba said at a press conference on Tuesday.
By the end of June 2016, the department had a total of 44 681 uncollected green ID books across the country, 68 669 uncollected smart ID cards and 168 950 uncollected re-issue smart ID cards.
This brings the total of all uncollected identity documents to 282 300, including all uncollected green ID books and smart ID cards.
Minister Gigaba warned that after 3 August 2016, the department will revert to the policy of destroying ID documents that have been uncollected for over a year.
“The policy of destroying uncollected documents is implemented to protect against any potential fraudulent activity. Therefore, it will be the responsibility of the applicant to lodge a new application and pay the prescribed amount where necessary,” he said.
All political parties are also urged to encourage voters to collect their enabling documents, so they can exercise their democratic right to vote come 3 August. - SAnews.gov.za
