Home Affairs Minister warns South Africans without ID documents
Schreiber was responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday as part of the security cluster, where he addressed issues affecting his department.
Department of Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber. Picture: Supplied/@HomeAffairsSA on X
CAPE TOWN - Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, has warned of another 'silent crisis' of undocumented South Africans who go through life without an ID.
He said this is one of the challenges the department is trying to resolve by going more digital and allowing people to access Home Affairs services at different locations, including private businesses.
Schreiber was responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday as part of the security cluster, where he addressed issues affecting his department.
The country might have a crisis of undocumented foreigners, but Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says there might be just as many undocumented South Africans out there.
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He said applying for an ID should be just a routine exercise, but the current model forces most people to find a Home Affairs office, which is not always convenient due to a lack of digital platforms.
"I think the most important example of this crisis, I would call it a silent crisis in South Africa of undocumented South Africans."
He said this also affects children, who also miss out on social security benefits.
"These are children who are going to school who didn’t have their birth registered."
Schreiber said the current approach of accessing services directly at Home Affairs is taking up too much time for their already overloaded staff, saying other routine services can be provided by institutions like banks to lighten the load.