When South Africa’s COVID-19 alert status was lowered to level 1 at the beginning of March, the Department of Home Affairs also reopened branches around the country.

This included the reopening of its eHomeAffairs service, which lets South African citizens get their smart ID card and passport through participating branches from Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Discovery, and Investec.

In the first week that the service relaunched, I tested it to renew my expired passport.

While our previous experiences with the eHomeAffairs website when applying for smart ID cards were painless, this time around the system was slow, cumbersome, and glitchy.

It took several tries over multiple days to finally get the passport application form to load. After it loaded the rest of the process was seamless.

The only tricky thing was figuring out how to pay.

For the option to book your appointment to get your biometric data captured and collect your passport (or smart ID) from your bank, you must make payment via Internet banking.

Rather than asking you to pay money into a bank account using a specific reference number, which can be mistyped, eHomeAffairs has opted for something more complicated but less error-prone.

The bill payment system used by eHomeAffairs is like a safe, once-off debit order that you are in full control of.

It works by creating a request for payment in your Internet banking profile from the Department of Home Affairs. You must then log into your Internet banking and manually approve the transaction.

Banks only allow approved companies and government departments to create such transaction authorisation requests.

Once I found out how to approve the payment authorisation request, and where to approve the request in my online banking profile, the rest was easy.

After payment is made, you book a time to visit one of your bank’s participating branches and have your fingerprints and photo taken.

I was able to apply on Friday and book a slot to visit the bank on Monday. Total time spent at the bank was 30 minutes, though it would have been shorter had it not been for a camera malfunction while capturing my passport photo. According to the reception staff, I had struck it lucky as they were usually busier.

By the following Monday my passport was ready. I collected it on Tuesday and the bank was once again fairly empty. Within 15 minutes my newly minted passport was in my hands and I was out the door.

There is one big problem with the Department of Home Affairs’ partnership with South African banks through eHomeAffairs — it is limited in scope and location.

Applying for your ID or passport online is a great start. Unabridged birth certificates, marriage certificates, and death certificates could all be handled online while allowing documents to be collected at convenient bank branches.

Although expanding the scope of the service would be brilliant, expanding its coverage would be even better as many South Africans do not yet have access to eHomeAffairs services through their bank.

Capitec previously told MyBroadband that it has no plans to add Home Affairs service desks, as it has smaller optimised premises to help keep its fees as low as possible.

While Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Discovery, and Investec all have participating branches in the eHomeAffairs programme, most are in Gauteng.

Currently the only bank to have participating branches in all of South Africa’s three major cities is Standard Bank, according to the Home Affairs website.

This is after Standard Bank embarked on a substantial expansion programme last year.

Before South Africa’s national state of disaster and the ensuing lockdown due to COVID-19, Standard Bank said that it planned on launching five new eHomeAffairs branches in 2020. It launched four of them.

Absa and Nedbank also had plans to roll out many new Home Affairs service desks in branches during 2020, but these are not yet available from the eHomeAffairs website.

Once these planned eHomeAffairs branches come online, Absa and Nedbank will join Standard Bank in providing online Home Affairs services in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban

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State Information Technology Agency (SITA) boss Luvuyo Keyise has hit back at the Minister of Home Affairs after the Minister suggested that his department’s ills can all be traced back to SITA.

In a Budget Vote debate at the National Council of Provinces, Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that the IT system is the “original sin” of Home Affairs.

To resolve their problems, Home Affairs has asked National Treasury to exempt them from having to procure IT services through SITA.

“We have actually identified why [the South African Revenue Service] doesn’t have systems down,” Motsoaledi said.

“It’s because it has been exempted from getting these services through SITA and we are working with Treasury to do that.”

However, Keyise said that Home Affairs’ problems are not SITA’s fault, but due to the department’s own ineptitude and unwillingness to pay for the quality of service it actually needs.

Keyise also explained that SITA does not even directly supply many of the services Home Affairs uses.

“Home Affairs has procured companies through SITA that run and manage its systems,” he said.

It is also not the fault of these companies that Home Affairs’ systems are always offline.

The main problem, Keyise said, is that Home Affairs has decided to buy the cheapest possible IT services that come with the lowest service level agreements.

“They buy a bronze service, which offers a 16 business hours turnaround time on issues,” explained Keyise.

SITA has asked Home Affairs to consider upgrading to a platinum-tier service, which will give them all the redundancy they need and a far more stringent service level agreement.

Keyise said that with a platinum service, problems must be resolved within an hour. However, due to the redundancies the service comes with any outage is usually mitigated within minutes.

With the bronze service Home Affairs insists on buying, many of its offices still run on a single 2Mbps copper-based ADSL connection with a very basic service level agreement.

If the ADSL goes offline, there is no backup in place, and the office can’t function.

While some offices are being upgraded to fibre, they still don’t have any redundancies and a service level agreement not suitable to Home Affairs’ needs.

A platinum-tier service comes with several layers of backups, including microwave and satellite connectivity, so that if anything happens to the main broadband connection the whole Home Affairs office doesn’t grind to a halt.

Keyise said that a bronze-tier service would be fine for some government departments, such as the department of sport, arts, and culture.

For a busy services department like Home Affairs and the police, however, a much higher quality of service is required.

Keyise also said that the Minister was mistaken about the fact that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) received a special exemption from having to procure its IT services through SITA.

“There is no exemption. State-owned enterprises are not covered by the SITA Act,” stated Keyise.

Only national and provincial government departments are required to procure their service through SITA due because of the security and data privacy requirements, he said.

“I can also confirm that SARS is now partnering with SITA in the procurement of IT services,” said Keyise.

He added that SARS has, of its own free will, been buying services from SITA since 2003.

Even if Home Affairs somehow got an exemption from complying with the SITA Act, it will not fix its underlying issues.

“Being removed from SITA Act will not help Home Affairs with the fact that they are procuring a bronze service, or that they do not have capable IT management,” Keyise said.

Another point of contention was the Minister’s statement that Home Affairs held meetings with the CEOs of IT service companies in South Africa at SITA’s headquarters in Centurion.

“That was a meeting we arranged!” Keyise said.

“We said, ‘You seem to not know what you’re doing. Can we help you by arranging this meeting,’” Keyise told MyBroadband.

He also stated that Home Affairs was informed by these same IT services companies that it will need to upgrade its systems.

For years, Home Affairs has not upgraded their systems and the department was advised that it will need to renew its ageing IT infrastructure if it is going to offer reliable services.

“You have what is happening at Eskom where the systems have not been properly maintained,” Keyise said.

Despite all these issues and Home Affairs’ choice to procure the cheapest possible services, Keyise said that SITA has offered to help them for free.

“Where they lack, SITA is there to help them. But it does not mean SITA will say yes to whatever they want,” he said.

According to Keyise, SITA has refused some of Home Affairs’ procurement requests to ensure they stay on the right side of the law.

Keyise said that Home Affairs blaming SITA for all of its problems feels like blackmail for not agreeing to some of the department’s procurement requests.

“The crux of the problem with Home Affairs is they want to get things for free and then blame SITA when it breaks.”

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File photo: Refugees living on the pavement near to the Cape Town Central police station in March 2020. (Photo: Nardus Engelbrecht/Gallo Images) Less

Under lockdown, with no in-person services available to refugees and asylum seekers at Home Affairs, a woman who wants to separate her documentation from that of an abusive husband or partner cannot do so.

“I cannot leave, because of my children.”

“There is no place for me to go.”

“My documents are all linked to my husband, so if I left I would be without legal status in South Africa.”

“My job would not support me and the children if we left, so we have to stay.”

Many refugee, asylum seeker and migrant women have experienced many departures – departure from their home country, departure from their home, departure from the comfort and familiarity of speaking their home language, of being surrounded by those they know or feel at home with. 

These departures are by no means easy. They are acts of faith, journeys of hope and often grasps at the chance of a better, safer future, for themselves and their families. 

However, there is one other departure that is often not possible for (mainly) women who find themselves in another country far from their hometowns, their mother tongues and the support networks they grew up with – leaving a situation where they are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). 

For the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign in 2020, the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town, in partnership with UNICEF, ran a communications campaign on SGBV to highlight the resources available for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Through the campaign we found that while some resources are made available to victims and survivors of SGBV, many of these are contingent upon an individual having valid documentation in South Africa.

Yet it is often those without valid documentation who are most at risk. Perpetrators of SGBV do not distinguish between citizens and non-citizens, or those who have an ID and those who don’t. Those who are not citizens and might not have an ID have less access to support, less recourse and fewer departure options.

Contrary to the claim that “illegal” migrants have chosen to enter the country without the correct papers, the truth of the matter is that there are few who would choose to live in another country undocumented. For many, valid documentation is a luxury. In fact, the lack of papers which afford them the right to work, to study and to access support services is yet another departure – from security, safety and the acknowledgement of their rights as human beings. 

And while the challenge of obtaining documentation has been widely reported, it is still hard to comprehend the complex, contradictory and confusing processes created by Home Affairs for migrants to follow – often to then only reach a dead end. 

During the course of South Africa’s nationwide lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, this situation has worsened as refugees and asylum seekers have not been able to access in-person services at the country’s refugee reception offices. This initially meant that if an asylum seeker permit or refugee status document expired, its holder could not renew it. In June 2020, the Minister of Home Affairs issued a blanket extension of all asylum and refugee documents that expired during lockdown. This extension was reissued from time to time, with the most recent one providing for an extension to 30 June 2021. 

The services that have not been offered, though, include new asylum applications, as well as family joining, and file separations – services that could mean the difference between someone being able to leave an abusive partner or not.  

“I cannot leave, because of my children.”

Often children are documented through only one parent. If that parent is an abusive partner a file separation and subsequent process of joining the child or children to the other parent’s file have to take place. This cannot happen at present, because Home Affairs’ refugee reception offices are not offering these services and haven’t been providing them since at least March 2020. Moreover, there are often intersecting issues such as financial dependence, child support and family networks that make a departure impossible. 

“I cannot leave, because there is no place for me to go.”

One of the many departures a migrant, asylum seeker or refugee initially makes is leaving their support structures and community behind. Shelters in South Africa, aside from being full, often require a valid document in order for someone to be placed there. Due to Covid-19 they also require a negative Covid-19 test. For some the cost of a Covid test is prohibitive. For others their lack of documentation or access to Home Affairs services in order to obtain the required documentation means they cannot get placed at a shelter. 

The devastating economic consequences of the lockdown, as well as the lack of in-person services at refugee offices, add to the barriers facing asylum seeker, refugee and migrant victims and survivors of SGBV when trying to find a way out of an abuse situation. Subsequently, they are forced to remain in abusive situations without any option to exit. Another departure denied. 

“My job would not support me and the children if we left, so we have to stay.”

Financial dependence and the inability to support their children are often why someone might remain in an abusive situation. This applies regardless of nationality, documentation or immigration status. South African citizens and permanent residents, as well as refugees who have refugee identity documents, have access to support options such as social grants they might qualify for, for example the child support grant. For those without documentation or immigration status, or for asylum seekers, these are not an option. 

Indeed, even the social relief of distress grant created to support people during the lockdown was initially only made available to South Africans and refugees. It took litigation to make it available to asylum seekers and special permit holders as well. These interventions and initiatives, and campaigns like the Basic Income Grant, are key in trying to help some of society’s most vulnerable. They could be vital for victims and survivors of SGBV by providing the potential for a necessary and needed departure from an abusive situation. 

I cannot leave, because my documents are all linked to my husband, so if I left I would be without legal status in South Africa.”

A key intersecting issue can be that many children, and women and children, are documented through the father in a household. In Home Affairs terms this is known as the “principal applicant” or the “main file holder”. This person must always be present when a document is being renewed, following which the dependents in the file receive their renewed document. When faced with the choice between being undocumented or staying in an abusive situation many refugee and asylum seeker women have no options. 

It is an impossible choice. To stay means they remain documented and maintain lawful immigration status in South Africa. To leave means they are rendered undocumented; at risk of possible arrest, detention and deportation; and lose documentation allowing them to work. Under lockdown, with no in-person services available to refugees and asylum seekers from Home Affairs, a woman who wants to separate her documentation from that of an abusive husband or partner cannot do so. 

In South Africa it is reported that between 25% and 40% of women have experienced SGBV or intimate partner violence. It is a systemic and deeply entrenched issue. For refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, it is exacerbated by lack of access to immigration status and documentation. 

If the government were truly committed to combating GBV, one way to support victims and survivors is to ensure that they can access documentation services throughout the country.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has highlighted workforce skills as the “single biggest challenge facing the Australian economy” in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Employer surveys also show it’s a top concern.

Adding to these concerns is an expected 85% fall in net overseas migration in 2020-21 from 2018-19 levels because of COVID-related border closures. The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) has stressed the urgency of increased and more flexible temporary and permanent migration as global competition for skills and talent intensifies in the post-pandemic recovery. Australia also risks losing talented individuals to more attractive destinations.

Federal Immigration Minister Alex Hawke is more optimistic. He says the pandemic hasn’t harmed Australia’s reputation as a migrant destination. At a CEDA livestream discussion yesterday, Hawke said migration would be crucial for Australia’s recovery from the pandemic.

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What is being overlooked in this debate is that, as a recent Productivity Commission report notes, Australia might not really have a skills shortage. Rather, the problem is a skills mismatch.

Why migration matters now

Australia typically relies on immigration for almost two-thirds of its population growth, and skilled migrants are an important source of talent.

COVID-related closures of national and state borders added to the problems of industry sectors that rely on temporary and permanent migrants to overcome skills shortages. Many have had trouble finding workers (e.g. fruit-picking) or will have trouble as the economy recovers (e.g. hospitality, digital and data opportunities).

CEDA recently launched a report calling for an increase in permanent skilled migration. This report and a 2019 CEDA report aim to show recent waves of migrants have not reduced wages or jobs of Australian-born workers.

CEDA’s latest report calls on the federal government to:

1. set up a government-regulated online platform for matching skills to jobs
2. update the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations Codes to ensure people with essential or cutting-edge skills can immigrate
3. be more transparent about how it assesses what occupations are in demand and included on the skilled occupation lists.

CEDA describes the Global Talent Scheme (GTS) as “very restrictive”. Minister Hawke acknowledged post-COVID Australia’s migration policies have to be more flexible and responsive. He pointed to the increased GTS intake of 15,000 spots in 2020-21, a tripling of last year’s allocation.

Yet the shape and make-up of the migration program remain unclear. Questions during yesterday’s discussion elicited few new details.

What are the issues with this approach?

According to the Productivity Commission, the way to modernise and grow the economy is via the three Ps: population, participation and productivity. As well as the population impacts of migration, CEDA claims to be offering solutions for both participation, as skilled migrants have “lower unemployment rates and higher labour-force participation rates”, and productivity, as skilled migrants are younger and contribute to human capital accumulation.

In practice, increased migration works by growing the population, increasing numbers of taxpayers and producing so-called spillover effects in housing, retail and domestic tourism etc.

CEDA cites an Australian National University study that found migrants account for 7% of the average rate of labour productivity growth between 1994–95 and 2007–08. However, the Productivity Commission reports productivity has slowed since the mid-2000s despite high migration.

Evidence indicates employers are not nurturing talent from migration to its full potential. Nearly one in four permanent skilled migrants work in a job beneath their skill level. Research also highlights the need to tackle the disconnect between identified skills shortages and the unwillingness of employers to employ new migrants.

How to fix these problems

The solutions CEDA proposes are largely quick fixes and echo previous recommendations from CEDA and employer groups like the Australian Chamber of Commerce. Stop-gap government measures to help employers fill shortfalls include a 50% wage subsidy for apprentices or trainees and tailored quarantine arrangements for seasonal workers. But the systemic problem of skills matching, leading to underemployment and unemployment, has been neglected.

This problem is not unique to Australia. Migrants do essential work in many countries. Research has found many countries have designated these migrants – including those typically considered “low-skilled” such as crop pickers, care assistants and hospital cleaners – as “key” or “essential” workers whose supply needs to be protected and even expanded during the health emergency.

In Australia, some analysts have pointed to the skills shortage as a policy ruse to distract attention from the lack of infrastructure investment to cope with rapid population growth as well as employers wishing to restrict wages growth.

The problem is worse among international graduates and students – 60% of the latter lost their jobs during the pandemic. Yet they studied in universities and through VET providers that were supposedly providing them with the skills Australian employers need.

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) has recognised the need to improve skills matching and development. It has called for a more flexible vocational education and training (VET) system that emphasises life-long learning with innovations like micro-apprenticeships. This allows for employees and apprentices to be rapidly trained and regularly upskilled in response to technology and market changes.

This is similar to micro-credentials – qualifications based on smaller blocks of learning. These can formalise soft and hard skills attained at work, such as teamwork, critical thinking and problem solving. They can also help fill skill gaps such as working with big data.

Vocational education and training should focus on skills needed to capitalise on the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

There are other gaps in the CEDA proposals. For example, when the federal government announced its Modern Manufacturing Strategy in October 2020, it recognised that not enough manufacturers have experience in scaling up in areas that provide good returns. Despite a brief mention of data scientists in regard to skilled occupation lists not being updated since 2013, the CEDA report largely focuses on traditional industries.

Our research shows Australia needs to develop new skills in disruptive technologies to capitalise on the opportunities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The pandemic has simply added to the urgency of increased collaboration between the higher education and VET sectors, employer organisations, industry and government to deliver more targeted and flexible skills development programs.

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According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), expats stranded abroad will have their residence permits (Iqama), exit and re-entry visas automatically renewed until July 31, 2021.

The General Directorate of Passports has begun automatically renewing these visas at no additional cost to the visa holders, SPA said.

Only expatriates from the 20 countries whose admission into the Kingdom was halted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak will be allowed residence visa renewals, according to a list released on February 2.

The UAE, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, France, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Sweden, the Swiss Confederation, and Turkey are among the 20 countries.

Additionally, the validity of visit visas for travellers from countries whose admission is prohibited because to the COVID-19 epidemic will be extended until July 31.

Saudi Arabia had reported 459,968 Covid-19 instances as of June 8, with 1,261 instances found in the previous 24 hours.

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