Home Affairs offices in several provinces have been closed due to a lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline officials.
Offices in the Eastern Cape and especially in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Western Cape are closed due to shortage of PPE and thermometers which are required for public offices to be compliant with Level 4 lockdown requirements.
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has directed the Department of Home Affairs urgently procure equipment
The committee reported that, despite the closure of some of the offices Thursday, the work of issuing death certificates to enable families to bury their loved ones was still being done.
Currently, Home Affairs services are limited to birth and death registration, the issuing of birth certificates, temporary Identity documents and the collection of IDs.
Committee Chairperson, Advocate Bongani Bongo said they have directed the Department to procure the essential equipment through the National Treasury in line with the Disaster Management Act.
Bongo said their major priority was to ensure that the offices remain open to the public while also adhering to safety standards
