Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba announced on Thursday that a total of 92 additional staff members would be deployed at OR Tambo International Airport over the festive season.

“The two shifts of additional staff will allow for 100 percent capacity at the workstations, with all cubicles utilised for travellers processing during the specified peak hours,” Gigaba said.

During a briefing at the OR Tambo International Airport, Gigaba did a walkabout where he was shown the process travellers had to go through when travelling in and out of South Africa.

Gigaba said that the additional staff would do two shifts a day to cover the overlap between normal shifts, which may be disrupted if not properly managed.

In December 2014, the South African Cabinet resolved that the Department of Home Affairs was responsible for the coordination of boarder management mandates and activities within government in the period leading up to the establishment of the Border Management Authority (BMA).

“This plan outlines accountability and reporting requirements of different departments at Port of entry to the National Border Management Coordination Committee (NBMCC) and the BMA project office,” Gigaba said.

He said that the birth certificate or unabridged birth certificate was required for all children below 18 travelling in or out of South Africa, except where a visa had been issued to a minor as this would have been provided for as part of the visa application process.

“We are not compelling anyone to dig out the father or mother who was not there when you applied for the child’s birth certificate. You can apply for the document on your own,” Gigaba said.

“We encourage citizens to apply for birth certificates when they apply for the child passports. Going forward the details of parents will be printed in the passports so that parents whose particulars are printed would not be required to take along birth certificates when travelling with their children.”

Ports of entry hours in various provinces in the country have been extended over the festive season to ensure that travellers are processed speedily.