Deputy Chairperson, I move without notice:
That the Council -
1) notes with serious concern the announcement made by the Department of Home Affairs that it will hike the price of the re-issuing of identity documents and temporary ID certificates from R20 to R140 and passport fees from R190 to R400 from 1 April;
2) further notes that the department has announced other tariff hikes including for children's passports, will go up from R145 to R400; documents for travel purposes are to be hiked from R145 to R300; emergency travel certificates which will go up from R70 to R140; temporary passports are to be hiked from R90 to R180 and maxi passports will go up from R380 to R600;
3) also notes that the reason given by the department is that the increases are part of a plan to recover money spent on re-issuing documents when holders complain about errors, which in many instances are made by the department itself;
4) acknowledges that many poor people struggle to access government grants and services due to lack of documents such as birth certificates and IDs and the proposed increases will create a new barrier for our people; and
5) calls on the Minister of Social Development to intervene and review the proposed hikes.
Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.