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HomE affairs casE study

Home Affairs back office

Deputy Director-General for Institutional Planning and Support, Thulani Mavuso (TM), talks to Dudley Moloi (DM) on the
context of modernising the Department of Home Affairs.

DM: What is the nature of the Institutional Planning and suitcases will cater for those citizens who may not be able to
Support (IPS) branch’s work within the Department of Home physically visit home affairs facilities, such as the aged and
Affairs (DHA)? disabled. The department has a presence in 389 hospitals to
expedite the early registration of children. While the eHome
TM: The IPS is responsible for long-term planning, policy Affairs channel means that certain parts of the application
development and what we call channels management, process for Smart ID cards could be done online, the
or the various platforms that we use to deliver services to applicants would have to go to selected banks, currently 14
the public. Such long-term planning obviously involves a sites, for biometrics and eventually the collection of IDs.
close working relationship with those sections that directly
run programmes and projects across the department. In DM: What about staffing, or the warm bodies of the
developing the digitisation strategy, IPS had to work closely footprint?
with the Information Systems (IS) branch. Thereafter, the
strategy had to be sold to the civic and immigration core TM: With the total staff compliment of just over 9 000, the
business services of the department. reality is that the department is way understaffed. For
example, an analysis undertaken as part of the development
DM: What is the national footprint of the department? of the 2006 turnaround strategy estimated that a staff
compliment of 18 000 was required at the time in order to fully
TM: There are 411 traditional offices, or your normal walk-in discharge the mandate of the department.
and queuing offices, as well as mobile trucks for under-
serviced areas. We are working on the next generation of
mobile trucks that will replace the current fleet, which is
reaching the end of its service. Similarly, the use of mobile

26 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 11 No. 3 of 2018