Newcastle Home Affairs is on standby, awaiting directives from the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) regarding the temporary closure of its doors to the public.
This follows the Public Service Association (PSA) signalling an escalation of the SITA total shutdown, underscoring the mounting tension.
This development comes as PSA declared an impasse in salary negotiations. Representing the majority of SITA employees, including those at Home Affairs and South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), the union insists on a minimum 7.5% salary increase. However, the government is offering a 5% increment, leading to a deadlock in discussions.
With the negotiations at an impasse, the PSA issued a stern warning, indicating that if their demands are not met, a nationwide strike will be prolonged indefinitely. As the PSA encourages its SITA members to join the upcoming national shutdown, local Home Affairs staff members confirmed on the morning of 18 October 2023 that operations are currently ongoing, but this situation is subject to change.
“At the moment, our systems are offline, and our phones are off, but we are still open. However, once SITA confirms that we need to participate in the strike, we will follow suit,” mentioned an anonymous staff member. The second staff member expressed uncertainty about when this order would be issued.
Meanwhile, Liezl van der Merwe, the Spokesperson for the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Home Affairs and Social Development, voiced deep concerns regarding the impending PSA strike and its potential to disrupt essential services provided by the Department of Home Affairs and the SASSA.
“The IFP recognises the right of workers to strike as a fundamental element of our democratic society. However, we believe that the wellbeing of the most vulnerable members of our society, who rely on Home Affairs and SASSA services, should always be a top priority,” said van der Merwe.
She further emphasised that a prolonged strike could severely impact South Africans depending on these vital services for identity documents, passports, and crucial social security support.
“We urge the PSA and the relevant authorities to engage in constructive dialogue to find common ground, and reach a resolution that safeguards the delivery of essential services and does not unduly affect ordinary citizens – particularly the most marginalised and vulnerable.nWe further encourage the affected departments to implement contingency plans to minimise the impact of the strike,” said van der Merwe.
Tsholofelo Bodlani, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Deputy Minister of Communications and Technologies, expressed great concern about the potential strike action by State Information Technology Agency (SITA) workers and the looming threat of a “total shutdown until demands are met”.
“SITA’s primary role is to consolidate state IT resources – to streamline processes, improve delivery, and save cost. The services which rely on SITA, in the Home Affairs, SASSA, and Labour and Employment departments will be severely hampered by the initiated strike. While these services already operate very badly, strike action threatens to put them to a standstill. SITA is responsible for providing Government with IT services, and while it continues to fail in its mandate, it is nonetheless crucial to essential Government operations, such as the delivery of SASSA grants and the issuing of ID books,” explained Bodlani.
She further added that the DA now warns against any disruption to critical government services, as this ultimately affects the most vulnerable.
“We do not wish for September’s events, which left SASSA recipients stranded, to repeat themselves. We call on the Minister of Communications & Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, and Cabinet to ensure contingencies are in place and that the delivery of services continues undisrupted.”
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