The Department of Home Affairs will open its offices for five hours a day on Saturdays from tomorrow to accommodate matriculants who need to apply for identity documents.

GRADE 12 LEARNERS TO BE PRIORITISED

The offices will be open on Saturdays until 12 October, two days before the start of the final exams. Spokesperson for the department, Siya Qoza, said the department will also be issuing temporary identity certificates, ID collection and application services. "Matriculants and learners will be prioritised during this period," Qoza said. Home Affairs Minister, Dr. Leon Schreiber said the initiative is specifically aimed at enabling matriculants to write their exams. "We encourage matriculants who are waiting on their IDs, along with their parents, to make their way to the nearest office. We encourage clients who have applied for identification documents and have received their SMS notifications, to seize this opportunity by visiting their Home Affairs office to collect these critical documents," he said.

ALL SYSTEMS GO

The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, announced on Tuesday that the department was ready for the 2024 matric exams. According to the department, 732,448 full-time candidates will be seating for this year's final examinations. The number has increased by 8,400 more candidates than last year. KwaZulu-Natal is leading with 172 213 candidates, followed by Gauteng with 136 620 and the Eastern Cape with 103 975. Limpopo has 94 236, Mpumalanga has 68 455, and Western Cape has registered 64 552, while North West enrolled 41 480, Free State has 37 737, and Northern Cape registered 13 180 candidates this year. Gwarube also said that 162 question papers for this year's examinations have been approved by Umalusi and they are ready for handover to provinces for printing. The examinations will run from 21 October to 27 November.