Question NW711 to the Minister of Home Affairs
27 May 2020 - NW711
Motsepe, Ms CCS to ask the Minister of Home Affairs
(1)(a) What are the reasons his department is no longer issuing birth certificates during the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and (b) how does his department intend to deal with the backlog in birth certificate applications; (2) whether he has engaged (a) medical aid companies and (b) insurance brokers on the need to enrol new-borns without birth certificates; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW915E
Reply:
1. a) The registration and issuance of birth certificates are regulated by the Births and Deaths Act (Act No 51 of 1992). The Births and Deaths Act requires births to be registered within 30 days. When the nation was under level 5 Lockdown, birth registration was temporarily suspended from 27 March to 03 May 2020. However, birth certificates were issued to those who are already registered on the system during the reporting period.
b) The Department set out a plan for children born from 26 February to 03 May 2020 to be registered at the Front Offices (backlog) and children that are born from 04 May 2020 onwards are registered at Health Facilities.
2) a) Medical aids were consulted and they confirmed there is no need.
b) The decision was taken to add birth registration to form part of Level 3 which then covers the plight by insurance companies.
END