Ninety-two additional staff will be deployed at OR Tambo International Airport from December 9 to January 14. Malusi Gigaba, Minister of Home Affairs, announced that the additional staff would ensure that all workstations were at 100% capacity, with all cubicles utilised to process passengers.
Funding for the additional staff came from within the department following a reprioritisation process, says the Minister. Although the DHA budgets for the high volumes of travellers during the festive and Easter seasons, the Minister says the budget is not sufficient. “We would wish, on a sustainable basis throughout the year, to increase our capacity at these ports of entry so that we can provide an enjoyable experience for travellers.”
He says the additional staff will be incorporated into a new structure of two shifts a day, which will overlap the shifts of current staff during peak periods. The first shift runs from 06h00 until 11h00, and the second shift from 16h00 until 20h00.
The Minister stresses that this is a temporary solution. “We will require a sustainable solution that appreciates that efficiency, through optimal staff capacity, needs to extend beyond the festive season.”
The DHA is also in discussions with Acsa about rearranging counters to separate South Africans, who do not need to have fingerprints taken, from foreign nationals.
