Home Affairs Budgets R2.4 Billion to Hire 10 000 Graduates and Digitise Records, Job Posts Open Friday

• 10 000 graduates now have the opportunity to be employed by the Department of Home Affairs
• This comes after Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi's announcement that the department plans to digitise records in the next three years
• Some South Africans are thrilled about the job opportunities, but some people think the money budgeted for the projected will be stolen

JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Home Affairs has an action plan to hire 10 000 graduates in the next three years. Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has the department has launched a R2.4 billion to digitise records.

The department's initiative is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address in February, where he stated that Home Affairs will hire unemployed graduates.

Speaking during a media briefing on Thursday, 11 August, Motsoaledi explained that 90% of the R2.4 billion will be used to pay the stipends of the employed graduates and the rest will be used to purchase the necessary equipment, according to News24.

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Motsoaledi explained that the graduates will be tasked with digitising 350 million records, including birth certificates, marriage, death certificates and amendment records that go as far back as 1985. The bulk of the records are from Gauteng, North West and the Western Cape province.

The minister also explained that people have complained about delays due to the lack of digitised records, especially for parents applying for unabridged birth certificates, according to BusinessInsider.

The Department of Home Affairs will be recruiting Information Technology graduates who have a background in document, information, and records management. The first 2 000 positions will be advertised on Friday, 12 August.

South Africans weigh in

Some South Africans are excited that the Department of Home Affairs is creating jobs for young people, while others feel that the money budgeted for the digitisation project will be looted.

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Here are some comments:

@MarcelMbewe said:

"R2.4 billion is just too much, a good idea, but the money quoted is absurd... Unless, of course, as usual, it's bloated up so all the things can steal it among themselves."

@Anda07_ said:

"50% will be ghost employees. So that they chow the money."

@BasilCpt said:

"Please upgrade the facilities. Add more booths, and upgrade your network (so no more "the system is down"). Employ more people so that it can go much faster. People will be a lot more happier to spend less time there."

@cultabz said:

"Good move. I love this minister. He knows what he is doing."

@Grantimmelman said:

"Another haemorrhage of taxpayers' money! Hope all the funds are utilised as reported "

@qwikass said:

"I smell digital vibes move loading!"

Home Affairs cracks down on foreign nationals and department officials who make fake SA IDs and passports

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Briefly News previously reported that the Department of Home Affairs is cracking down on those who manufacture and sell fake South African identity documents and passports.

In a response to a written parliamentary question from IFP's Liezl van der Merwe, Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi said fake IDs and passports were noticed both locally and internationally.

The minister said once fake documents are spotted, the department's civic services branch refers the matter to the counter-corruption branch.

Source: Briefly News