Visitors to SA are experiencing very long delays at OR Tambo International Airport’s immigration desk, and these are mostly caused by understaffing of the biometric capturing system. The system‚ which captures travellers’ fingerprints at SA ’s ports of entry‚ was introduced by the Department of Home Affairs in April 2015‚ but rolled out in earnest in June 2016 at 65% of the counters at terminals for arrivals and transit passengers. The delays are earning SA a bad reputation overseas and could hurt tourism and the country’s position as a key exchange hub in the region. Comair CEO Erik Venter said his airline’s flights were "constantly having to reaccommodate" international passengers who missed connecting flights. He told Radio 702 on Wednesday that the department was aware of the issue but did not appear to be doing anything about it. "Everyone is speaking to home affairs‚ including the minister of tourism himself." Home affairs "say that they have budget constraints and they don’t ...
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