Control of passport pick-up tightens up

Travellers in or out of South Africa would have to adhere to stricter passport applications to eliminate passport fraud.

Yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi announced steps by his department to make passport applications foolproof for fraudulent acquisition.

Passports could now only be collected at the office where it was applied for and only by the person who applied for it, Motsoaledi said.

“This is nothing new. This method is being used to collect smart ID cards.”

The same applied to minor children, their parents or guardians who applied for one.

Earlier this year, a Pakistani national, South African citizens and corrupt home affairs officials were arrested in Krugersdorp for fraudulent passports.

Motsoaledi also dispelled the myth of an emergency passport.

“There is nothing called an emergency passport for any South African travelling to another country. The so-called emergency passport is a handwritten document available only to a South African stranded in another country. This document allows them to return home. When they arrive, its usefulness comes to an abrupt end.”

South Africans wishing to travel to other countries have to apply for a passport and follow the processes. The department produces it in five to 13 days, but it could be produced within 24 hours, he said.

“I must warn that this is very rare and the people will have to pay an arm and a leg for this.”

The department has also withdrawn the transit visa exemption and reinstate transit visa requirements for Bangladeshi and Pakistani passport holders from 1 August.

“This means all travellers using passports issued by Bangladesh and Pakistan authorities are required to apply for a visa when transiting through South Africa to other countries,” he said.

Prof Basie von Solms, director of the Centre for Cyber Security at the University of Johannesburg, said passport fraud would still happen despite changes made to procedures.

“Our passport information was already on the systems. It was only a procedural change, nothing else,” he said.

The procedural change could assist in making the process safer and ensuring the right person gets the passport instead of a scammer, Von Solms said.

“The biggest problem in cyberspace was that insiders were helping criminals exploit the data and information,” he said.