New cellphone ban at border posts

Travellers will no longer be allowed to use their cellphones when they are travelling through South African immigration ports.

This announcement was made last Wednesday by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

The DHA’s ban follows two weeks after a female immigration official was caught on a cellphone camera immersed in her smartphone, instead of clearing travellers. The incident happened at the Beit Bridge Border Post.

On the video, which was widely shared on social media, the official can be seen absentmindedly scrolling through her phone before stamping a traveller's passport twice. At the time, the video had the newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Malusi Gigaba, furious. He personally called for swift action, and condemned the official's actions in a public statement on 14 March.

In the meantime, the official, along with three of her supervisors, has been suspended from work for dereliction of duty.

Date:05 April 2018

By: Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

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