Home Affairs is hiring 10,000 unemployed graduates to digitise 350 million paper records

Business Insider SA – 12 August 2022

• South Africa's department of home affairs has more than 350 million civic paper records detailing births, marriages, deaths, and amendments dating back to 1895.
• Sifting through these paper documents is a major headache for both the department and South Africans.
• That's why the department of home affairs is hiring 10,000 unemployed youth graduates to digitise these paper documents.
• Job adverts for the first intake of recruits are due to be published on Friday, with the project expected to last for three years.
• Recruits can earn between R5,000, for entry-level positions, to R14,250 for manager-level positions.

South Africa's department of home affairs will recruit 10,000 unemployed youth graduates to digitise more than 350 million civic paper records over the next three years, according to Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

The department of home affairs is clogged by more than 350 million civic paper records detailing births, marriages, deaths, and amendments dating back to 1895. The lack of digital copies of these records stifles home affairs' already overburdened processes, causing frustrating delays for South African applicants.

"Quite often, South Africans complain bitterly about the delays they experience when they apply for unabridged birth certificates, unabridged marriage certificates, amendments, and rectification of their biographic details," said Motsoaledi during a media briefing on Thursday morning.

"This is because to finalise all these applications, Home Affairs officials have to manually search for original documents among these 350 million manual records. Obviously, such a tedious process will take a long time, which people may not be aware of. This leads to frustration when people have to make several visits to Home Affairs."

To answer this problem, the department of home affairs has committed to hiring 10,000 unemployed youth graduates who will be tasked with digitising these paper documents. These recruits should be qualified in Information Technology – specifically, document, information, and records management – obtained from institutions of higher learning.

The first phase of the recruitment process will begin in August, said Motsoaledi, with adverts for the intake of 2,000 unemployed youth graduates available on Friday. This first group of recruits will "assume duty" on 1 November 2022.

The department will recruit a further 4,000 unemployed youth graduates in October and the remaining 4,000 in December.

"This cohort will be required to sign a three-year contract linked to the duration of the project," said Motsoaledi, noting that the project would run until October 2025.

"Successful youth will be paid a stipend ranging from R5,000 for entry-level positions to R9,500 for technical support level positions, and R14,250 for manager-level positions."

Candidates will be able to apply for work within the digitisation project through the department of home affairs and department of employment and labour websites.

"Those that don't have access to the internet can visit their closest labour centre of the department of employment and labour," said Motsoaledi.

"In this month of women, and to honour the heroines of the 1956 march to the Union Buildings, we wish to announce that 60% of the intake will be of young women and only 40% will be young men."

Training will also be offered to new recruits relevant to the job for which they are contracted to perform.

"Once the records are digitised, Home Affairs officials will have access to them at a click of a button and would be able to finalise the applications instantly," added Motsoaledi.

www.samigration.com

Zim Minister says Harare ready to welcome its citizens as permits expire in SA

IOL – 12 Aug  2022

Pretoria - Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Frederick Shava, said the government led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is ready to welcome back its citizens who have lived in South Africa under the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP).

“The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit will expire at the end of this year. Its expiry is naturally causing much anxiety to the holders of this permit,” Shava said in his opening remarks while co-chairing the mid-term review of the Bi-National Commission (BNC) with International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor.

“Our two governments must work closely in the implementation of this decision. We are ready to receive our nationals back home,” he said.

Among several senior officials from the two nations, the high-level meeting was also attended by Ambassador of South Africa to Zimbabwe, Thizwilondi Rejoice Mabudafhasi, and Ambassador of Zimbabwe to South Africa, David Hamadziripi.

Numerous Zimbabweans living in South Africa are in limbo, after the South African government announced that it would not be extending the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP), which ended on December 31, 2021.

The almost 200 000 permit-holders were given a 12-months grace period to regularise their stay with another category of permit.

Pandor told Shava that Pretoria is grateful for the supportive role played by Zimbabwe in arresting the scourge of illegal migration.

“Dear Minister (Shava), I’m sure you are aware that effective management of immigration has been an ongoing challenge for our government.

“We’ve recently established a border management agency and we hope it will vastly reduce illegal migration and improve efficiency. I must thank you and your government for the support you have given us in this endeavour,” she said.

Pandor said the review meeting gives the two neighbouring countries an opportunity to “reboot and reset our programmes, to better respond to the challenges that have emanated” from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I am pleased to recall that despite the constraints of the pandemic, total trade between South Africa increased from a quantum of R38billion in 2020 to R47.5bn in 2021. I trust that our delegations will align our planning to enhance this positive development and I note in the figures that the surplus lies with South Africa, and we would like to see greater benefit to Zimbabwe’s economic sectors as well.

“Of course, our cooperation and partnership is not only limited to bilateral relations. We also share common values on regional, continental and global governance issues of mutual interest,” she said.

Pandor also expressed gratitude to Zimbabwe for the support given to South Africa when it served on the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

Shava, a seasoned diplomat, was appointed by Mnangagwa to head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year, following the death of the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo

www.samigration.com

 South African Citizenship

Citizenship Options

• South African Citizen by Descent
• South African Citizen by Naturalisation:
• Automatic loss of Citizenship
• Resumption of South African citizenship
• Deprivation of Citizenship
• South African Citizen by Naturalisation:
• Automatic loss of Citizenship
• Resumption of South African citizenship
• Acquisition of the citizenship or nationality of another country

South African Citizen by Descent:

Anybody who was born outside of South Africa to a South African citizen. His or her birth has to be registered in line with the births and deaths registration act 51 of 1992.

South African Citizen by Naturalisation:

Permanent Resident holders of 5 or more years can apply for citizenship. Anybody married to a South African citizen qualifies for naturalisation, two years after receiving his or her permanent residence at the time of marriage.

A child under 21 who has permanent residence Visa qualifies for naturalization immediately after the Visa is issued.

Automatic loss of Citizenship.

This occurs when a South African citizen:

Obtains citizenship of another country by a voluntary and formal act, other than marriage, or;

Serves in the armed forces of another country, where he or she is also a citizen, while is at war with South Africa.

Deprivation of Citizenship:

A South African citizen by naturalization can be deprived of his citizenship if;

The certificate of naturalisation was obtained fraudulently or false information was supplied.

He or she holds the citizenship of another country and has, at any time, been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in any country for an offence that also would have been an offence in South Africa.

South Africa Working Visas

South Africa seeks highly skilled individuals to live and work in SA.

SA Migration Services will provide professional assistance to arrange your work visa for you if you qualify.

Work Visas are regulated in terms of Section 19, Regulation 18 and items 18 (1), 19(2), 20, 21 and 22, of Schedule A.

There are three common types of Work Visas:

• General Work Visa
• Inter Company Transfer Visa
• Critical Skills Vis

  
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If you Are Coming to Canada, be ready! – Lady who goes to work by 5am tells Nigerians

Towngist – 11 August 2022

A Nigerian lady who resides in Canada has advised her countrymen who wish to relocate to be fully prepared for the hustle and bustle that comes with working in the North American country.

She documented a day in her life as a factory worker and revealed that as early as 4:50 am she is already on her way to work.

The young woman said that waking up that early was a huge struggle for her, so she said that anybody that is making plans to travel there should be ready to put in that level of commitment.

She said; ”It’s is about 10 minutes to 5 and I am heading to work. It was a struggle waking up this morning, a huge struggle. This is part of the things we go through, so be ready”

If you are coming to Canada, be ready just in case your journey is like mine.”

www.samigration.com