admin The Ministry of Home Affairs has reduced its passport issuance backlog by 23,000, bringing the total pending applications down from 61,000 to 38,000.
Minister of Home Affairs, Vuyisoa Tseka announced the progress in Maseru yesterday, where she said the reduction comes amid ongoing efforts to improve service delivery at the ministry.
According to Ms Tseka, much of the delay has been linked to outdated technology still in use within the department. She said the ministry continues to operate on Windows 7, a system she described as no longer able to support faster processing, even when staffing and resources are increased.
She said to address the strain, the ministry has already purchased new printers and consumables and indicated that officials are now working to resolve remaining internal gaps so an automated passport system can be fully rolled out.
