We have ample capacity for registration of deaths, says WC Home Affairs manager

Home Affairs in the Western Cape insists that offices in the province are not experiencing a backlog in the registration of deaths.

Yusuf Simons, the provincial manager of Home Affairs, says officials are dealing with an enormous spike in death registrations amid the Covid-19 second wave.

To help manage the situation, a few other services have been suspended at Home Affairs offices until further notice.

RELATED: Home Affairs limits services to prioritise rapid rise in death registrations

In addition, Home Affairs offices have extended their operating hours until 7pm to accommodate people who need to register deaths up until 15 February 2021.

Simons says department officials have already processed a large number of death registrations in the first 10 days of January 2021, with an average of 481 death registrations per day.

In December 2020, Home Affairs offices in the province registered an average of 341 deaths on a daily basis.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Simons says the province would register about 300 deaths per month.

Simons says the department has mobile units on standby should there be a need to expand its services.

He adds that Home Affairs offices have good relationships with funeral undertakers in the Western Cape.

Let me say categorically... We do not have a backlog in the registration of deaths.

Yusuf Simons, Western Cape Provincial Manager - Department of Home Affairs

We believe with the extended hours and the number of deaths that we have registered up until now, we have ample capacity and we have allocated ample time for the registration of deaths.

Yusuf Simons, Western Cape Provincial Manager - Department of Home Affairs

There's been a big increase in the number of deaths being registered.

Yusuf Simons, Western Cape Provincial Manager - Department of Home Affairs

The Western Cape on average r [pre-Covid-19]... In December 2020, we registered 341 deaths on a daily basis. That was higher than any of the previous months of 2020.

Yusuf Simons, Western Cape Provincial Manager - Department of Home Affairs

In just the first week and a half in January 2021, our average has gone to 481 [daily death registrations].

Yusuf Simons, Western Cape Provincial Manager - Department of Home Affairs

Listen to the discussion on The Midday Report with Lester Kiewit:

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