Home affairs sets new deadline to deliver biometrics project

IT Web – 27 January 2021

 

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is looking to conclude its biometrics tender by the end of the year.

So says Siya Qoza, DHA ministerial spokesperson, after the department received a preliminary forensic investigation report into the awarding of the botched Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) tender.

The ABIS system was supposed to be up and running after 12 months but this hasn’t happened yet. The contract was awarded in 2015.

Implementation of the ABIS system was delayed after the missing of master files in the contract, with EOH prompting the DHA to launch a forensic audit on how the tender was awarded.

The preliminary report’s assessment of the process, according to officials, has now been presented to the DHA but the department remains mum on its findings, saying it’s waiting for the final report.

Home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi has since last year been making amends to salvage the controversial multimillion-rand project, which saw the department slapping technology services company EOH with a R44 million penalty over delays in the implementation of the project.

In his presentation to the portfolio committee last year, Motsoaledi revealed that out of the R400 million contract, R224 million had already been spent on services, infrastructure and software. The budget still available for the project is R129 million.

Commenting on the progress of the project, Qoza says: “The project is still continuing with its implementation on the basis of the signed master services agreement between DHA and EOH. EOH has not been released from its obligations.

“The DHA intends to finalise the ABIS issues before the end of the current calendar year, to ensure phase one of the project goes live into production.”

“A preliminary report has been handed over to the department. The department awaits the final report.”

Ructions over the contract have been growing since November, when reports emerged that recommendations had been made to the department that the contract be ceded to French multinational technology company IDEMIA.

It is this recommendation that has caused controversy, with questions being asked as to why a subcontractor that was part of a consortium that failed to deliver the ABIS system on time should be the one to take over.

IDEMIA’s empowerment credentials as per the tender requirements were also flagged as a concern because it’s a French-headquartered company.

Motsoaledi, however, denied IDEMIA was the preferred company to take over the project from EOH.

He added that the DHA was considering various rescue plans, including the ceding of the contract on condition that such action doesn’t lead to excessive additional costs.

The matter was then referred to National Treasury for guidance.

“The matter is still under consideration at National Treasury, including additional information that has been requested,” Qoza tells ITWeb

www.samigration.com

EXTENSION OF VALIDITY OF ASYLUM SEEKER AND REFUGEE PERMITS TO 31ST of MARCH 2021

1. Validity of asylum seeker and refugee permits

Following the announcement by the President of the Republic of South Africa to put the country on adjusted alert level 3, the Minister of Home Affairs issued the Direction on the 14th of January 2021 regarding services that will be provided by the Department of Home Affairs. The Directions in paragraph 2.1 thereof made reference to the extension of the validity of visas and permits that were issued by DHA.  To this end, this statement serves to confirm that all permits/visa issued to refugees and asylum seekers are deemed valid until 31st of  March 2021.

Holders of asylum seeker and refugee permits do not need to extend their permits  since the Minister of Home Affairs has extended all permits/visas and deemed them valid until 31st of  March 2021.

 All the rights, benefits and obligations of asylum seekers and refugees remain the same. 

 2. Refugee Reception Centres remain closed

The Refugee Reception Centres have closed since the commencement of the national state of disaster. The Refugee Reception Centres will remain closed until the Department of Home Affairs declares them open.

All stakeholders, refugees and asylum seekers will be notified when the Refugee Reception Centres are declared open.

 * This statement is to be read alongside the Government Gazette No.44072 issued on 14 January 2021 by the Department of Home Affairs on measures to prevent and combat the spread of COVID-19.

This statement is to be read alongside the statement made by the Minister of Home Affairs on the 30th of September 2020 that states that, ' the Department of Home Affairs is extending the validity period of legally issued visas which expired during the lockdown period to 31 January 2021.'

 

The Department of Home Affairs has announced that along with several other changes to services it provides the registration of births will no longer occur at Home Affairs offices.

Instead, births are to be "registered at the health facilities where they occur. These are the 156 health facilities with Home Affairs office presence," Minister Aaron Motsoaledi noted in a statement.

 

Highlighting the alarming number of Covid-19 infections occurring at the department's more than 400 offices across the country, as well as the difficulty in enforcing Covid-19 protocols in large crowds, the Minister said the decision had been "forced by circumstances".

 

The services the minister confirmed as suspended pending further notice include applications for IDs, passports and marriage certificates.

 

For a list of health facilities new parents will be able to consult for birth registration visit: Dha.gov.za

www.samigration.com

 

The DHA has suspended the application for smart IDs, with the exception of matriculants applying for IDs.

A long queue outside the Department of Home Affairs in Port Shepstone on Monday this week. Most in the queue were there to register deaths.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has announced the suspension of several services rendered under level 3 lockdown as the number of death certificates being issued by the department has been on the increase.

To remedy the situation, Home Affairs offices have extended operating hours.

“We will be extending operating hours to 7pm to accommodate those needing to register deaths and births. This will be available from now until February 15,” said Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.

The minister said since December the department has been issuing a high number of death certificates.

The figures, he cautioned, are set to spiral further by the end of January. He compared the deaths recorded in December 2020 saying that in December 2018, a total of 36 826 deaths were registered and this rose to 38 620 in December of 2019 before figures skyrocketed to 55 676 in December 2020.

“But on January 4 and 5 – just the first working days of this year – Home Affairs had already registered 10 582 deaths. If this trend continues, there’s going to be a greater demand and it will get worse,” he said.

Confronted by the grim reality, the Department has decided to temporarily suspend certain activities and services.

“This is very unfortunate but we are forced by circumstances. We were guided by statistics. Of all the people who visit [our] offices, 29 percent are people collecting smart IDs, 16 percent are applying afresh for smart IDs, 11 percent come to be issued birth, marriage and death certificates while 10 percent come to apply for temporary IDs,” he said.

The DHA has suspended the application for smart IDs, with the exception of matriculants applying for IDs.

Applications for passports (except for those permitted to travel by the Disaster Management Act regulations), marriage registration and solemnisation of marriages are also suspended as is the collection of IDs.

“I know this will be difficult but please bear with us as we save lives. Please don’t come to collect IDs unless you’re specifically invited to do so via SMS. We’ve decided to change the modality in which we operate, we are proposing that all births and deaths be registered at health facilities at which they took place,” he said

www.samigration.com

Often our team is confronted by feedback such as I noticed on social media that people complained on Facebook and  Google , but when you look at our statistics for example on Facebook we have 150,000 likes and on Google 330 reviews with a 94 % approval rate and this tells us that we are doing a very good job and of course there is always room for improvement .

We subscribe to the view our clients are like family and if they give us feedback we take it seriously and we provide them with the platform to do so and when they do we take any feedback seriously and try and remedy the area of concern in order that we can get better at what we do and in that way can give a quality service which is what we strive for . Of course we would be naïve if we think we wont get adverse feedback , because even the best manufactured car or home appliance can break or fail because it is put together by people and we are no different . We all have one thing in common though the desire for excellence and feedback and what is done with it shapes a great company form a mediocre company .

Once again thank you for raising this with us and giving us a platform to put your mind at ease and explain our ethos .

 

 

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