eTNW understands
that the Department of Home Affairs’ biometric systems were down from Thursday
last week until this morning.
Industry sources told eTNW
that this had resulted in a backlog in the processing of passports that had
been applied for at a Home Affairs branch. “The on-site application and payment
systems have also been non-functional periodically over the last few months. We
had been advising clients to apply and pay online before going in to the Home
Affairs branch to submit biometrics. However, with the biometric system also
experiencing technical challenges the whole process came to a halt.”
Agents surveyed told eTNW
that they avoided passport processing delays by encouraging clients to
apply through their bank.
