HOME Affairs offices across the country will be open on Wednesday so that people can still collect their IDs and vote.
“On Wednesday the 3rd of August, the offices will open from 7am-7pm to coincide with the opening and closing times of the voting stations across the country,” Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said.
The decision to extend the hours was to assist the IEC in delivering a free, fair and credible local government election.
There were 44 681 uncollected green ID books, 68 669 uncollected Smart ID cards and 168 950 uncollected-issue Smart ID cards, Gigaba said.
In the Western Cape, there are 30 528 uncollected documents, 3 984 uncollected IDs and 26 544 Smart IDs. “We urge all citizens to collect their IDs without delay. We call on all stakeholders and local government officials to help with the distribution of these documents.
"Officials should also assist those citizens who are struggling to reach Home Affairs offices to collect their documents, including those living in remote and rural communities and historically disadvantaged communities,” said Gigaba.
Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Thabo Mokgola said it would be able to help if somebody had lost his or her identity document.
Gigaba said: “Local governments, where possible, should assist citizens struggling to reach Home Affairs offices to collect their documents, including those in remote and rural communities, and those in informal settlements and historically disadvantaged communities. In this regard, providing transport is one of the ways of assisting our people to get their documents.”