IEC readiness for Voter Registration Weekend; DHA response to Members’ queries, eHomeAffairs system and functioning of Contact Centre; with Minister and Deputy Minister

Meeting report

Opening Remarks

The Chairperson welcomed the Minister, Members and guests to the Committee meeting. He noted the release of the White Paper issued by the Minister which focused on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection. The public will first interact with the Paper before Cabinet assesses the matter. He also mentioned the issue raised during the previous meeting related to the outstanding appointment of the electoral panel. The Minister has been requested to brief the Committee on this process as a means to gain an understanding as to why there was a delay.

Briefing by the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on the readiness for the Voter Registration Weekend

The Committee was updated on the Voter Registration Device enhancements and the Operating System (OS) upgraded to Android 11 and the offline mode, which will allow the machine to operate without connectivity or with poor connectivity. Apps optimised to default to offline in cases where connection cannot be established with databases for whatever reason. In offline mode, the data is stored on the device and only transmitted when a stable connection has been established with the network, and where connection to databases has been restored.

For aboard registration, the online voter registration capability for registration abroad has been finalised and is ready for deployment. Enhancements will be progressively introduced to the image recognition element to increase the success rate of image recognition (passport and ID documents). There are three consecutive days planned for voter registration abroad in January 2024.

Three broad challenges were identified during the dry run:

• The volume of read and write requests from and to the database caused a flat-lining of database resources. (This was the element that could not be tested during the simulation)

Two issues were identified from this:

• Optimisation of stored procedures was required to deal with the load.
• That the applications did not make provision for automatically switching over to offline mode in instances of non-response from the database. 
• The internet line was monitored and proven to have problems; the issue was logged with the service provider Vox Telecomm. This raised issues about thresholds for triggering fail-over to alternative backup lines.

The MPLS (Telkom) line connecting the national office WAN was observed to be dropping packets even though it was operating at less than 60% of the capacity. Telkom has identified the problem and remediation was implemented on 7 November 2023. (Router replacement).

The Findings from the Dry Run were as follows:

• Vodacom APN (sim card connection for private network) worked, and its capacity was not overloaded at any time during the dry run. 
• Offline functionality worked as planned and optimisation to include offline in instances of non-response from the database.
• Apps functioned seamlessly.
• Upload of offline records came in at a very high throughput.

The high participation rate at voting station level was a realistic test of the infrastructure right down to the voting district level.

For data on staffing readiness and voting stations, please refer to slides

As the Elections Launched on 24 October, the campaign was unveiled and the theme of the campaign is “YOUR Democracy –Own It”. This theme intended to rekindle individual agency, by reminding citizens that democracy belongs to them and that they should take charge and ownership. For publicity purposes, the following platforms have been utilised where messages were carried in combination of:

• TV (SABC, DSTV, Community TV, eTV, eNCA)
• Radio
• Print
• Out-of-Home Advertising
• Contact Centres
• Digital channels.

The choice of platforms is based on research that indicates that TV and radio are still the predominant channels of preference for receiving information. 

Please see slides for further details.

Discussion

The Chairperson thanked the Commissioner for the brief. On the issues of the abroad registration, the Chairperson noted that no turnaround time was cited for improving the image recognition processes mentioned. He questioned whether this meant that citizens would face difficulties registering over the weekend. The issue that plagued the country was the loadshedding, thus he asked to what extent this would affect the voter registration weekend. The presentation cited logistics that have not been implemented yet.

Ms L van der Merwe (IFP) noted that everyone is trying their best to assist with ensuring that South African citizens register to vote. She congratulated the IEC for their campaign, which she believes is highly visible, as many interviews have been conducted. Regarding the offline mode, she sought clarity on a few issues, such as what guarantees are there that they will not experience any glitching. She questioned whether the voter details would be captured correctly once online mode was reactive. During the last voting season, citizens came forward to complain that they were not registered to vote despite having completed all the necessary registration instructions.

Regarding the low voter turnout amongst the youth, she noted that this was a threat to democracy and should be the focus of the IEC and all political parties. As such, she asked whether the IEC had a joint sustained campaign alongside the Department of Education to ensure that voter registration weekend is highlighted amongst schools and universities. Evidence indicated that the issue. Referring back to previous talks about collaborating with telecommunication, youth preferred to utilise the IEC’s online portal for registration however the availability of data was an issue. On the matter of employing teachers, she argued that it is a matter that they will agree to disagree upon, as the IEC will employ individuals who are politically affiliated. Due to unemployment, the state has trained thousands of social workers who are home. She suggests that they should be considered candidates for this role in the future. Over the weekend, offices were open for citizens to come in and collect their IDs, as there was a recurring issue of individuals not coming to collect their documents once it was issued. She asked the IEC if there were any statistics available on how many people turned up to collect their IDs. Lastly, she questioned whether a plan was in place for the mobile trucks for the registration weekend, especially within the rural areas.

Ms M Molekwa (ANC) started by appreciating the presentation and the effort that went into its preparation. Regarding the issue of publicising the registration weekend, she asked if attention is being paid to rural areas as there seems to be a lack of publicity amongst these residents.

Ms A Khanyile (DA) also showed her appreciation for the presentation. Regarding voter education, she asked whether the youth were targeted for the upcoming registration weekend and elections. There was a presentation done before the Committee where they indicated that they do visit schools; as such, she inquired whether they register pupils to vote during these visits. During the by-elections last month in her constituency, there was an issue with the online registration as voters turned up to place their ballets and were told they were not registered. As such, she asked how long it takes for the IEC to process the online registrations.

Ms T Legwase (ANC) welcomed the presentation. She asked the IEC to what extent the presiding officers influenced voter education.

Mr A Roos (DA) wished the IEC all the best for the voter registration weekend, and was impressed that the VMD system had been thoroughly assessed and that there were backup plans in place. This is the reason the Committee exists, as a means to conduct oversight, question things and ensure that everything goes according to plan. Considering the never-ending issue of including the youth in the voting processes and registration, he asked if the Committee had created a TikTok campaign. Secondly, he asked if there would be a second registration weekend and when it would be confirmed. Regarding abroad registration and the image recognition on passports and ID documents, he asked if these voters will need to have both these documents on hand to register. Further, what is the process for those who are still waiting for their passport applications to be processed, as this seems to be taking months or years to be completed? Are these persons barred from registering to vote due to this? According to the presentation, it is evident that there will be a three-day registration in January for the Missions abroad and he asked if this will include the online system as well. However, if it does not include the online system, he asked when it will be available as the Committee was advised that they wait for regulations prior to this taking place. Subsequently, the Committee was informed that the regulations were waiting for court cases to be completed. He asked whether consideration has been given to splitting the amendments of the regulations, given that the system allows overseas registration. Lastly, he sought clarity on the issue of registration being on a specific space and asked if an explanation could be provided as to why and whether this had been resolved.

Mr K Pillay (ANC) applauded the staff conducting the registration. He noted that he was pleased with the progress and the state of readiness. He agreed with Ms Molekwa on the need to improve efforts in awareness about voter registration weekend and utilising local media within communities. He asked whether loadshedding would impact the registration process and what contingency plans are in place. As the recent inclement weather, such as the heavy storms and hail, poses a risk to the temporary voting stations, Mr Pillay asked how the issue will be addressed and how many temporary voting stations exist.

Adv B Bongo (ANC) appreciated the presentation and the work done by the IEC. He noted that there is insufficient visibility about the registration weekend on social media platforms. As these platforms are the future for sharing information amongst the youth, it is important that they are utilised. He also questions how the IEC will assist with job creation.

Responses From the IEC

The IEC Commissioner noted that he would be leaving the meeting shortly, but took the opportunity to thank Members for their engagement and for following up on the work done. On the issue of loadshedding, he explained that if load shedding does occur it will not impact the registration weekend. One of the tests conducted was to check that every VMD is loaded with software and has a battery. To answer the question raised by Ms Van der Merwe, it was noted that when a voter is scanned, the information is kept on the machine until it is safely downloaded onto the system. There is no loss of information when the machines are offline. Subsequently, on the matter of recruitment, he explained that the matter has been dealt with extensively and will be explained by Commissioner Love. However, commissioners are only put in place where voting stations are functional. Once there are individuals who are able to manage these stations only then will the support staff be employed. As the registration period is only over three days, they are assisting with creating opportunities for the youth.

Mr Masego Sheburi, Deputy CEO, IEC, provided clarity on the image recognition issue, stating that it only applies to those who apply online. When one applies online, an image is needed to be uploaded to confirm one's identity. Moreover, the out of the country portal will be available from the weekend after the Committee meeting, and those who want to register with this portal will have to upload identity documents. In the instance where the upload might fail, he reassured Members that there are resources available to intervene manually. Those who are registering abroad, are no longer required to visit the missions and can complete their registration online. Regarding objections towards the registration staff, he stated that they would need to compile a document to be submitted to the Committee as it is not readily available. However, 155 previous employees have been blacklisted and removed from the database due to their criminal records.

He requested that Ms Khanyile provide specific cases where the registration mistakes took place to deal with them effectively. Significantly, he confirmed that the IEC is funded and scheduled to host a second registration weekend, which is largely dependent on when the election date is announced. Throughout the country, there are areas where home addresses do not exist, thus, since the Order of the Concord of 2016, the Commission has attempted to capture as many details as possible from voters. The Order of the Concord does not specifically state that the voters' role must be accompanied by addresses, but rather include addresses that are objectively available.

On the risk of inclement weather, Mr Sheburi said that they are aware of the issues that come with running electoral processes out of temporary infrastructures. However, given the country's unequal development, this is the unfortunate reality. There are 959 voting stations where there are no social amenities at which they have to pitch tents. In the bigger municipalities, they will be improving the quality of the tents due to their availability, unlike the situation within rural areas. The IEC is resolved to extend the right to vote to all citizens in a dignified manner.

Lastly, he confirmed that 959 voting stations open at 8:00am in the morning until 5pm.

Mr Mawethu Mosery, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer: Outreach, responded to the matter of zero rating, noting the discussions are still ongoing and have not yet been concluded. All major stakeholders have been consulted and have responded positively to the IEC’s request. The issue is being dealt with on a technical level, however the issues arise in attempts to locate the address of the votes. The current system locates the voter to the details available online. There are concerns that people will be able to use this as a gateway for free internet access and data. Currently, some technicians are dealing with the matter, and the IEC is doing its part in finding a solution.

Responding to the questions about the schools programme, he explained that it is in partnership and cooperation with the Department of Education and a memorandum of agreement is in place. This assists with achieving certain outcomes of the curriculum and provides the IEC with a structured programme for civic education. In 2023 the focus has been ensuring they visit all high schools to promote and encourage voter registration. Significantly, the major limitation to registering the youth during these visits is that they do not bring their IDs with them to school. A part of this relationship is to support the teachings of civic education conducted by the educators at these schools.

Regarding publicity, the IEC is utilising posters and billboards to promote the election weekend and cover the entire country. No less than 12 posters have been allocated per voting district which will be visible and spread out efficiently. As billboards are an expensive commodity, there will be 109 of them in use for promotion purposes, with 69 of them being digital. Key entrances into towns and high-traffic areas within the big cities have been targeted. These billboards will be implemented in accordance with the budget. Both the daily and weekend newspapers will also be used to promote the registration weekend.

Regarding digital platforms, televisions are the main promotional tools for airing a short series in collaboration with the Department of Education. All social media platforms are being used and the content put out is all created by the Commission. Regarding the IEC website, he noted that they did not have web chat portals available until a week ago. At this stage, over a hundred people use the web chat daily. He explained that what was lacking in the promotional efforts was the lack of physical interaction with citizens. Significantly, the Commissions WhatsApp line is also popular amongst citizens. He asked that the Members do their part in promoting the WhatsApp so that those interested in registering can reach out. They have partnered with a plethora of media houses to assist with the promotion. Subsequently, radios are being used throughout the smaller communities, where the Commission has been broadcasting 30 minute talk shows discussing the registration process and answering queries.

IEC Commissioner Janet Love answered the queries about recruitment, explaining that they are urging all contestants to advise local members to look at the individual to ensure they can perform well. People have been recruited on the basis of their performance during training. A percentage of those who will be working this weekend, are individuals who do not have prior work experience.

Mr Njabulo Nzuza, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, said that there cannot be instances where people are unable to register to vote due to not being in possession of an ID as a result of DHA. He reassured Members that the offices were open over the past weekend and will be open again in the coming weekend. Thus, if anyone has lost their ID, they can visit any branch and receive a temporary ID certificate which can be used for registration. Regarding collections, over the past weekend, there were an estimated 10 000 collections throughout the country. The focus for collections is only 135 000 which are all first-time issues, and the balance remaining is due to individuals being deceased and second–issue IDs. Resources have been committed to launching a media campaign, which is set to take place next week, with the focus being on the collection of IDs. Additionally, 127 mobile units will be dispatched throughout the country in collaboration with various stakeholders. Members can review the schedule for this on the DHA website.

Adding on to the points made by the Deputy Minister, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, said that when they announced that 500 000 IDs were uncollected, they realised it would be interpreted as 500 000 people who will not register to vote. However, as explained by the Deputy Minister, with the 10 000 collections completed, only 125 000 will be affected. A large amount of these are individuals who are in possession of an ID but have applied for their smart ID cards.

Responding to the matter of passports, he said that the Department had piloted a new method as a means to move away from the one established by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). The delays in issuing passports abroad are due to the diplomatic issues caused by DIRCO, as Home Affairs needs to wait for the missions to transport documents back to the Republic. He said that they have been looking into new electronic methods which are still in the early stages. Significantly, he put forth the suggestion that the DHA and the IEC have a meeting to discuss a way where citizens with expired passports are still able to vote using these documents.

The Chairperson thanked the Minister and noted that he was raising another matter that needed to be discussed with the IEC, where Members of the Committee should be invited to and make contributions. He noted and appreciated the bilateral meeting between the two organisations. The Chairperson thanked Members for interacting with the presentation and appreciated the continuous work demonstrated by the IEC during these election processes. The Committee needed to take responsibility for mobilising and popularising the upcoming voter registration weekend and the queries raised during the meeting. The Chairperson noted the report and asserted that the Committee take on the collective responsibility for monitoring and observing the work done over the weekend. The IEC and the accompanying officials were released from the meeting and the Minister was invited to introduce the fourth item of the meeting agenda.

The Minister said this is not new work, so the Director-General (DG) can begin taking the Committee through the presentation.

Mr Tommy Makhonde, Acting DG, began by thanking the Minister and greeted Members. Three presentations will take place, the first will focus on queries raised by Members, followed by a briefing on the eHomeAffairs systems and lastly, the functioning of the Home Affairs contact centre will be discussed.

Briefing and update by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on the addressing of Members’ queries

The Department received a total of 910 queries from Committee Members for the period 1 April 2023 to 08 November 2023. Of the queries received, 627 have been finalised and 283 were pending and still being processed by the Department. The outstanding matters were receiving attention given the complexity of the matters as some require investigations while others have legal implications. 

Refer to slides for a detailed breakdown of the queries.

The eHomeAffairs System

• In 2015, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), in partnership with the banks, agreed to provide an alternative channel to serve clients and expand the DHA footprint expansion to banking halls and use a digital platform to enable the clients to start the application process for smart ID cards and passports from the comfort of their own homes or offices.
• The partnership aims to facilitate efficient and secure ways of accessing services and accelerate the number of citizens who are issued with smart ID cards and passports.
• On 30 September 2015, e-Home Affairs was officially launched. The system allows applicants to submit their biographical information and make a booking to visit a Bank branch to finalise the application by submitting biometric information.
• The eHomeAffairs system has been utilised by 3 548 823 users as of the end of October 2023 to apply for their Smart ID cards and Passports.
• The number of users is also influenced by the number of available bank branches to accept appointments. There are currently 25 branches that can accept bookings.
• After many years of deliberations, the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) has confirmed to the Department that the banks are now ready to sign the partnership agreements to give effect to the full concept of partnership and exit the pilot project.
• The signing of the partnership agreement will therefore increase the footprint of bank branches that will be activated as the agreement comes with infrastructure and human resources from the banks.
• The system has been operational for eight years with periodic upgrades to improve its effectiveness and functionality

See attached for further details

The functioning of the Contact Centre

To effectively fulfil its developmental mandate and as an integral feature of good governance and effective service delivery, government has to ensure that systems, processes and procedures are continuously reviewed and that service delivery complaints are managed effectively, and the right of redress is upheld. To ensure that the above is realised, in 2014, the Department of Public Service and Administration developed a complaints and compliments management framework governing the handling, resolution and recording of all enquiries, queries, complaints and compliments registered with all government departments. To align itself with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) framework, in September 2014, the Minister of Home Affairs approved the Home Affairs Contact Centre Framework, which now serves as the guiding principle for handling all complaints and compliments raised with the Department. Embedded in the framework is implementing a three-tier integrated contact centre system to effectively manage contacts with the public and all other stakeholders. To realise the objectives of the Home Affairs Contact Centre framework, in 2015, all complaints’ management units in the Department of Home Affairs were consolidated into one unit, reporting to the Director: Home Affairs Contact Centre. This was to ensure one entry point for all complaints, enquiries and queries channelled to the Department by members of the public and Chapter Nine institutions. The second leg of the project to implement the Home Affairs Contact Centre framework was establishing an integrated, unified messaging in-house Contact Centre with capabilities to run on top of and integrate with core business systems with real-time information provided to the end-users.

The Centre is currently operating at 54% capacity from 68% capacity it had in 2018.

For a detailed breakdown on the cases received and resolved please see slides

Discussion

Looking at the second presentation on slide 8, Ms L Van der Merwe (IFP) applauded the Department for finally being ready to sign a partnership agreement with banks. She asked when this would take place, as this has been in pilot mode for the last eight years and two months. Accordingly, she wanted to know how many banks were coming on board to deliver these services. Regarding the OTP discussed on slide 9, she asked how long it usually takes to receive these pins, as an overwhelming number of complaints indicate that it can take up to 48 hours to receive the OTP. This obviously will prevent people from being able to complete their applications. She inquired about the percentage of applications being submitted via the eHomeAffairs platform. On the issue of the call centre, she indicated that during office hours, she asked the staff to try calling the Call Centre and was disappointed that no one could get through as the network was congested. During the meeting, she tried calling once again very few minutes and only towards the end of the Committee meeting was she able to get through. However, she has been on hold for the past 15 minutes and is yet to receive help. She expressed concern for the infamous queues at the DHA branches, which will be exacerbated due to these failures. As there is no budget to employ more staff, she wanted to know how many calls per day each agent is dealing with and how many queries are resolved monthly. She inquired whether there are statistics available per branch and the type of query as she is concerned about people getting discouraged as they are being left on hold for long periods. She also questioned the effectiveness of BABS, as she once again had a team attempt to make bookings online to no avail. Despite expressing her appreciation for the work being done, she argued that it is clearly not enough and there is an obvious need for a better system.

On the matter of queries submitted by Members, Ms A Khanyile (DA) asked what the main challenges are for finalising outstanding applications, especially the permanent residence permits. Accordingly, the slides indicated that there are 283 queries pending and asked for an update on when they will be finalised. Referring to the presentation on eHomeAffairs, there was mention that the number of branches will be increasing. She asked that the Department clarify how and when this is planned for. Regarding the Contact Centre, she asked whether there is an automated system that can report back to clients on the progress of their queries. Concerning capacity, she wanted to know what challenges the Department faces in their attempt to fill the role of Deputy Director and Senior Case Resolution Clerk as they are below 50% capacity. Subsequently, community members have contacted Committee Members as the officers are not responding. As such, she asked whether a tool exists that can be used to assess if their telephones are working. Lastly, for those submitting their applications online, it seems that when they try to submit, the system kicks them out and forces the applicant to restart the process. She asked if the Department would be able to assist local offices with the resources needed to resolve these issues.

Mr A Roos (DA) began by noting that the Committee received a lot of inquiries to be tabled at the meeting. He asked what the Department considers a reasonable time frame to be to acknowledge these specific queries. Moreover, although the slides indicated that 283 queries were submitted, he argued that according to the most recent report, there were in fact 1107 queries pending, some of which dated back to 2016. Therefore, Mr Roos voiced his belief that a parliamentary office was needed to deal with the correspondence. He asked why the true number of pending queries was not included in the presentation and how will these matters be dealt with.

Regarding the expansion of branches, he asked whether a Home Affairs official would be required to be stationed at each one of them. Regarding eHomeAffairs, he asked why this system is not used abroad, as it would make the process more efficient and would half the shipping costs. Focusing on the Contact Centre, he argued that there is clearly an issue because if it was functioning correctly, there would be a lot fewer queries being sent to Members. He sought clarity as to why the call handling time went from 6 minutes in 2022 to 7 and a half minutes currently. In terms of adherence to a schedule, he asked what the rate was for the 2023 reporting period. Focusing on responsiveness, there were 137 138 calls dropped, which translates to 500 people daily just giving up their attempts to get through to an agent. In line with Ms Van der Merwe, he explained that the last time he had tried to call through to the call centre, he waited for over an hour before dropping the call. As such, when the Minister replied to the questions outlined in the SLA on the 21/22 performance, he said that 80% of the calls directed to the agents are answered within 20 seconds. Mr Roos asked what the current performance is in this regard and what the average waiting time is. Moreover, it was also noted in the 21/22 report that the first call resolution percentage was 61% at half capacity, where the majority of the questions asked are very basic. He questioned why these questions could not be answered immediately by the agents. Lastly, he asked if they have looked into a WhatsApp platform or AI bot on the departmental website to deal with these simpler questions.

Adv. B Bongo (ANC) raised concerns about the entire system currently in place to handle queries. He argued that the main issue is that the agents are not educated to handle the queries correctly or to whom to direct specific ones. He sought clarity on what the Department plans to do to remedy this issue.

Ms M Modise (ANC) appreciated the presentation and agreed with all the sentiments raised by Members. The concept of the Home Affairs system is great and she expressed her hope for the statistics shared to be accurate as the tales from citizens on the ground are a vastly different experience to what has been presented. Regarding online bookings, the clients she referred to the portals have come back to express the difficulties they are facing. This is an indication that the Department is not dealing with its issues correctly despite this system running for over eight years. With the eHomeAffairs system, she expressed her concerns about citizens having to upload confidential documents and banking details. This puts people at risk for fraud if the security of these systems is not reliable. As such, she asked how secure the system really is and whether it can be trusted.

Mr K Pillay (ANC) said that the presentation on the queries is an indication that a substantial number was being dealt with. However, a large number has been left off of the slides. He asked that the Committee be provided with an update on all the queries sent to the DDG and DG.

He expressed his concern for the rollout of banks and asked what is being done to expand as there cannot be only 25 branches and the expected timeframes. Additionally, he asked how many Home Affairs branches are actually on the system as clients have expressed difficulties finding their nearest branch when completing the online application. He suggested that the Department look into best practices in other countries and look into how fast these services are accessible to the public. Moreover, in 2018, there was 68% staff competency, but it is currently at 54%. This means that there are fewer staff having to deal with more queries. The Department needs to implement a turnaround strategy to deal with ways to remedy the issues with the call centres. He suggested that they look into outsourcing as a means to lighten the burden. Lastly, on the matter of queries, there seem to be a lot of civic services that get dealt with almost immediately, but the immigration services are still suffering a huge backlog. As mentioned in previous meetings, the DDG and DG will always respond to these issues, but once they have been passed on to an official, there is usually no response or feedback on the progress of each matter. Therefore, Mr Pillay argued for introducing consequence management and also asked what the SOP is for dealing with Members' queries. He asked that an explanation be provided as to why the application processing far exceeds the stipulated turnaround times.

The Chairperson thanked Members for their comments and suggestions. He handed over to the DG to respond and close off the comments.

Responses

The DG replied to the queries about the banks, saying that the Department is ready for the partnership and has been engaging in meetings to finalise the process.

Responding to Ms Khanyile, he said that office managers need to be able to manage the entire floor and in the instance where they are not responding to calls, it is usually because they are working the floors.

To the question posed by Mr Roos, he mentioned an intervention plan previously discussed with the Minister, which has already been implemented. The office has been refurbished and will be completed by the end of November. Additional capacity has been included for this office. Regarding the queries, he said it is important that the differences are reconciled for all of them to be tracked, but the data displayed was for the months of April to November. He said they are responding to emails and have seen the ones sent by Mr Roos which they are attending to.

Mr Thulani Mavuso, DDG: Institutional Planning & Support, DHA, explained that when the concept of partnering with banks was introduced,  the proposal for each bank was that they would provide 40 sites per bank which would increase the number to 200 sites. Now that they have agreed to move forward, the Department is working out the modalities to begin this process. The staff will be trained by the Department of Home Affairs and managed by the officials. With the transactions they manage, there are mechanisms to ensure they cannot be denied or intercepted. With the OTP, they are aware of the delays and are using a system called WASP, which seems to be causing various issues such as the queuing of the OTPs. The Department is looking into alternative options to fix the issues with eHomeAffairs. With the percentage of applications, he notes that they are currently very low but he will need to calculate the exact numbers.

On the matter of congestion with the Contact Centre, he said that there are 120 lines which means that they can receive 120 calls at any time. They are looking into a solution which will increase the existing capacity and include a self-service portal. He noted that BABS has been working effectively and last month, over 1.3 million users successfully utilised the system. The issue is that the system is not open-ended, where some branches have requested they open slots for 2-month periods. Currently, there is no report back system in place but it is something the Department is looking into.

Regarding the queries, he said that the turnaround time is 25 days and the Department is working below this, especially within civic matters. For eHomeAffaris, he explained that it can be used anywhere in the world; the only issue is that of the biometrics as they will need to install a live capture machine and camera at the missions. This was explored in 2019 at the UK mission, and the biggest challenge at that time was the need for a secure network to ensure that no data was compromised during the transition. The Department will return to the Committee once they have found a viable option.

On the matter of first case resolution rates, he noted that they are resolving basic calls as indicated in the presentation. There are prompts for each section of queries from which citizens can select. However, for frequently asked questions, they will definitely look into setting up a WhatsApp channel to assist but due to the sensitive nature of each application, caution has to be exercised in this regard.

He noted that it is true that the system has been active for eight years and there have been multiple upgrades of this. He reassured Members that they would reinvest into the system to improve its functioning. He voiced his agreement with the fact that there is a lack of public education for what it is that the Department of Home Affairs is responsible for, and there are plans to improve this. On the decline of staff at the contact centres, he noted that it would be difficult to decentralise to the provincial offices as capacity issues exist and access to systems, as they might not have the necessary records. Lastly, he noted that all of their processes have turnaround times and have all been published online.

The Deputy Minister said that the queries coming from Members must go through the designated official in order for them to all be dealt with accordingly. Secondly, these queries are not static and once one has been resolved, another one will be added. The Department will not be dealing with those that are too outdated and will be looking at current pending cases, but reassured Members that all queries will be seen to. Once the update or outcome is available, the clients are the first people who should be made aware.

The Minister said that the Department accepts the problems experienced with the IT systems but he asked that Members take into consideration that this is not the only responsibility of the Department of Home Affairs. Until the Department of Communication implements its new technologies, certain issues experienced will persist. He mentioned that there has been a struggle to engage with experts who can assist with the matter.

The Chairperson thanked the Department for the presentation and the Members for their comments and suggestions.

The meeting was adjourned.