Ports ready for festive season travellers
THE Home Affairs Department yesterday said it was ready to deal with the increased demand for services at ports of entry during the festive season.
“The department would like to confirm its readiness to handle increased volumes of travellers at ports of entry, in particular the air and land ports,” Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan said when briefing the media in Parliament in the place of newly-appointed Minister Siyabonga Cwele.
She said the department would deploy 425 additional staff at the busiest ports of entry to deal with increased volumes of travellers during the festive season and operating hours would be extended.
Chohan also said the increase in movement of people and goods into and out of South Africa tended to peak during the festive season, school holidays and the Easter period.
In the 2017/18 festive season, 8 468 262 movements were captured of arrivals and departures of citizens and foreigners. Chohan said the highest arrivals from the SADC region were from Lesotho at 758 519, followed by Zimbabwe (712 688), Mozambique (398 684), Swaziland (306 682) and Botswana (256 793).
In the same period, top 10 ports for all movements included OR Tambo International Airport with 1 569 100 arrivals.
“The highest movements were from our continent, Africa, with over 7 million movements recorded,” she said.
Chohan added that as part of preparations for the 2018/19 festive period the department’s Information Technology team was conducting a clean sweep operation to ensure that all IT equipment was in good condition in their ports of entry to ensure optimal functioning.
“This includes testing of all computers and scanners. The team is also setting up overflow areas for processing of travellers at Maseru Bridge, Lebombo and Beitbridge in order to cater for the volumes expected,” she said.
It was imperative that ports of entry were adequately prepared to facilitate traveller movement and to curb illegal movement and transgressions.
“Security dynamics and risks during peak periods include fraudulent documents, undocumented travellers and poor access control due to congested roads, hence we plan meticulously for ports and borderline activities with other law enforcement agencies.”
Chohan said stakeholders at ports of entry and partners from neighbouring countries have agreed to a comprehensive operational plan in order to support facilitation of movement during the festive season.
“Operational hours will be extended for busy ports of entry, covering pre-festive season movements, the festive season period and the reopening of schools.
She said their mission was to deliver efficient services at ports of entry.
“Legitimate trade and travel will be facilitated and potential violators will be deterred,” Chohan said.
She also urged travellers leaving and entering South Africa to ensure that all their travel documents were in order to avoid unnecessary delays in ports. HEALTH Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has slammed reports that he is “pushing” the National Health Insurance Bill (NHI) through Cabinet without proper consultation and public participation, saying that enemies of NHI will do everything possible to halt the bill.
This comes after reports emerged at the weekend suggesting that Treasury officials and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s adviser, Olive Shisana, were at each others’ throats over a number of changes introduced after the public comment period on the bill had closed.
The original draft bill was released on June 21, with a three-month comment period that closed on September 21.
The bill intends to pave the way for a central fund that will purchase services on behalf of patients.
It will also realise the government’s ambitions of providing universal health coverage.
The Health Ministry’s spokesperson, however, slammed the reports, saying there was no deviation from protocol, or irregularities, in the conclusion of the bill.
The department’s Popo Maja said: “We have no doubt that enemies of NHI will do everything possible to try to stop NHI from becoming a reality, failing which they will try to cast doubt and aspersions on the integrity of the process.
“We wish to reassure the nation that no law is being breached nor any illegality or irregularity committed in the manner in which the legislative process towards realisation of NHI is being conducted between the Department of Health, its officials, the Treasury, the Presidency and the rest of government,” said Maja.
It is also claimed that Motsoaledi
The dodgy revised bill would put the needs of South Africans on the backburner yet again
is trying to push the bill through Cabinet without consulting with Treasury and Health Department officials.
Last week, Health director-general Precious Matsoso claimed that she was sidelined, and not involved in revising the bill after certain changes were made to it despite being the department’s accounting officer.
The ministry, however, said no one had the sole power to decide on the bill, saying that various stakeholders are involved at all stages of negotiating the bill.
“It is unfortunate that some anti-NHI individuals or entities have decided to personalise, isolate and attack some hard-working and dedicated presidential support staff, particularly Professor Olive Shisana, employed to help drive government priorities in the social sector, health included,” said Maja.
However, the DA has called on the Portfolio Committee on Health and the Standing Committee on Finance to convene a joint meeting to discuss NHI in the wake of the reports.
DA MP Lindy Wilson said: “The revised National Health Insurance Draft Bill should be made public and the public participation process should be immediately reopened.
“The dodgy revised bill would put the needs of South Africans on the backburner yet again, and the DA will not allow this to happen.”