By EPN Reporter
MBABANE-Passports will now be issued to deserving individuals only, not just to anyone.
This drastic decision, taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been necessitated by the limited supply of passports in the country. The deserving individuals to be given passports are those that have the following: proof of doctor’s appointment, acceptance letter from a learning institution, study permit, student card, hawker’s permit, work permit, and/or employment letter.
The Ministry of Home Affairs pleads for patience from Emaswati, as it is working around the clock to ensure adequate availability of passports.
Minister of Home Affairs Princess Lindiwe said this in a statement, where she provided an update on what her ministry was doing to normalise the situation. She started by stating that the advent of COVID-19 resulted in travel bans and restrictions.
She further pointed out that as a consequence, a significant number of passports expired and some were reported lost or damaged. According to the minister, people did not apply for the replacement of the passports, as the travel restrictions were still in force.
The easing of travel restrictions resulted in the ministry receiving an overwhelming surge of applications for new passports, which led to an unprecedented reduction of the stock levels. The minister reminded Emaswati that the ministry sources passports from an international supplier. The COVID-19 outbreak affected many businesses all over the world, including the international supplier, according to the minister.
According to Princess Lindiwe, the supplier went out of the requisite material for the order placed by the ministry. As a result, the ministry experienced considerable delays in its efforts to replenish the passport stock in an efficient manner. Moreover, the minister said borderline security had been strengthened, thus affecting informal and illegal crossing.
This has led to an unprecedented demand for passports, as those who used informal and illegal crossing points want to avoid being arrested. In response to this situation, Princess Lindiwe said the ministry introduced short-term measures to ensure that the situation was normalised. The passports were now given to deserving individuals, based on urgent and essential needs.
Passport services are only available in Mbabane, where the headquarters of the ministry are situated. “The current application requirements in the interim period include, but are not limited to the following: proof of doctor’s appointment, acceptance letter from a learning institution, study permit, student card, hawker’s permit, work permit, and/or employment letter,” Princess Lindiwe said.
