The Department of Home Affairs' (DHA's) modernisation drive will explore the integration of electronic gates at some of SA's main ports of entry in the next few years, as SA revamps the way visitors and immigrants are processed.
This is according to COO Thulani Mavuso, speaking to GovTech delegates in Durban this week.
Although specific deadlines were not set, Mavuso said government aims to use its digitised population register as the backbone upon which most of its new, more secure features are based. "The demands placed on the department by citizens mean we couldn't continue with paper-based systems and had to turn to ICT."
He said the planned integration of biometric technology at border posts will also lift the level of IT security for immigration purposes. Among the solutions being considered is facial recognition technology, which will be pivotal for one of the new tech-driven immigration processes in the pipeline for the DHA.
The department is working on implementing a "Trusted Traveller System", enabling faster processing of people travelling in and out of SA on a frequent weekday basis. Those vetted by the system would pass through the border gate quicker and would be identified using technology.
According to Mavuso, government expects strong uptake of its online visa application process, which was introduced to speed up administration.
The DHA appointed VFS Global to receive and manage visa and permit applications in SA by establishing 11 visa facilitation centres across all provinces, with Gauteng and the Western Cape each having two due to high volumes of applications.
The company automates the application processes and also collects biometric data, which belongs to the DHA.
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