Director-General Mkuseli Apleni: Media briefing on extension of operational hours at Ports for Easter

Statement by Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni at the media briefing on the extension of operational hours at Ports for Easter

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, and thank you for being here.

The Department of Home Affairs will extend operating hours at selected ports of entry, from 18 to 30 March 2016, to ease movement for travellers over the Easter holidays.

The Department will further deploy more personnel, and senior managers, to enhance service quality in this period, one of the busiest for us, with increased traveller volumes.

We trust that by providing more hours, to facilitate movement of persons and goods, we will minimise the burden of long queues and undue delays while making travel pleasant.

However, success in this regard depends also on people travelling gradually over the entire period and, importantly, with drivers observing, religiously, all the rules of the road, ensuring all reach their destinations safely.

The carnage on our roads is unacceptable. Over and above maiming lives of many, it serves further to deplete the state’s limited resources, more so, at a time when we all need to work together to grow South Africa.

Home Affairs has secured the buy-in of stakeholders and countries that share borders with the Republic. Stakeholders in this regard include religious leaders and pilgrims, particularly those heading for the City of Moria, in Limpopo.

In preparation for a smooth facilitation of movement, ample attention was expended on the critical ports of entry, those that process very high numbers of travellers, such as Lebombo, Oshoek and Groblersbridge.

On behalf of the Ministry and Department of Home Affairs, I would like to inform citizens, and other clients, that we are ready to receive all travellers in and out of South Africa, and we will do so with the highest levels of professionalism and efficiency.

We have appealed to all our officials, especially those at ports of entry, to do all in their power to deliver the most humane and high-quality service to all people. We wish all travellers a safe and most fulfilling Easter break.