THE TBCSA has devised a contingency
plan to alleviate the lengthy delays
caused by DHA staff shortages at
major airports across the country. The
implementation now relies on Home
Affairs.
The TBCSA put forward a multiaction
proposal during a meeting on
November 4 between the Minister
of Tourism, captains of the tourism
industry and National Treasury. DHA
wasn’t present. Ceo of the TBCSA,
Mmatšatši Ramawela says The
Department of Tourism is meeting
with the DHA and other government
departments on an unknown date to
see that the initiatives in the proposal
are taken forward.
In the short to medium term
the TBCSA has suggested that all
immigration counters remain staffed
by bringing in SAPS officials to man
the stations on the departures side
of the airports. “This was done in
2010 and there were no issues of
congestion despite the fact that we
were welcoming a lot of people in one
go,” says Mmatšatši.
She says the biggest requirement
for officials on the departures side is
security clearance, which SAPS officials
already have, so all they would need
would be a one or two-day course in
order to qualify for the task.
Mmatšatši says ushers
are also needed to direct
travellers entering arrivals. “At
the moment all they see is
three queues: one for South
Africans, one for travellers
who require visas and one for
those that don’t.” She says
this is a problem for nonEnglish
speakers who may join
the wrong queue.
The third measure is to
improve the experience of
travellers standing in queues
by providing them with water
and things to nibble on.
However, she says these
measures are subject to the
approval of the DHA, NDT
and other parties within and
outside of government.
Spokesperson for the DHA,
Mayihlome Tshwete, was
unable to confirm whether it
would be introducing any of
these measures and says
only that the Department is
working with stakeholders
to ensure more efficient
facilitation of travellers at
ports of entry.
For the long term the parties
will have to find a solution to
the ‘austerity’ employment
procedures in government,
which mean that the DHA
cannot replace someone
without a procedure verifying
the job needs to be filled, says
Mmatšatši.
