The City of Cape Town will fully finance the training of its staff to serve as immigration officers at Cape Town International Airport. Picture: David Ritchie/Independent Media
City of Cape Town employees are undergoing training to become immigration officers as part of an initiative to reduce long queues at the passport control gates of Cape Town International Airport.
Typically, immigration officials are appointed and paid by the Department of Home Affairs. However, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced at the Exporters Western Cape Conference on 29 July that the City of Cape Town will fully finance the training of its staff to serve as immigration officers.
This intervention follows a recent meeting between newly appointed Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, and Hill-Lewis.
“Two weeks ago I wrote to the Minister of Home Affairs. I actually wrote to all new ministers. I sent them a long memo of what Cape Town wants from them and what Cape Town expects from them,’ Hill-Lewis explained. ‘We have been asking for this stuff for years. They had better deliver now that they have the chance“.
Hill-Lewis noted that he scheduled a meeting with the Minister of Home Affairs within 48 hours of sending the memo and met with him within 72 hours.
He mentioned that previous attempts to engage with the Department of Home Affairs regarding the city’s priorities had been unsuccessful.
Hill-Lewis proposed that Schreiber utilise his authority as Home Affairs Minister to appoint City of Cape Town staff as immigration officers at Cape Town Airport's passport control gates.
“We will deploy city staff to the airport during peak times. We will cover the costs, but the condition is that they must be empowered to expedite the border process, not just greet people and hand out landing cards. You need to actually give them the power to get people through the border quickly”.
He highlighted that when multiple international flights arrive simultaneously, it can take two to three hours to clear passport control.
However, he emphasised that the minister has the power to authorise someone to act as an immigration official.
Hill-Lewis concluded by stating that city employees will commence their training to become immigration officers within the next few weeks.
IOL Travel
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