A recent article about a reader's good experience at the Department of Home Affairs generated an array of responses from IOL Travel readers.
The good
I read with interest your story "Nice One" of 4 April 2009, relating Happy James' experience with the Centurion branch of Home Affairs.
I was left with the reaction, "Oh! So it's not only me?" I have been dealing with the Germiston branch for as long as I can remember, although I live in Boksburg. I have applied for birth certificates, ID books, passports and more, for my two children, from this office and have never had any real complaints.
Queues and crowds don't warrant complaining, that's the world we live in, get used to it because it isn't going to change. I read about the corruption and state of uselessness of the home affairs in the media, and have concluded that it must be in other branches.
I suppose it's a case of where ever there is a bad branch, it must be truly appallingly bad so as to warrant news coverage. My experiences with the Germiston have always left me wondering, "what's all the fuss about? I don't see it at the branch that I visit."
I have recently come to believe that the media sometimes tend to sensationalise trivial issues and disputes (mistakes let's call them) because that's what sells copy after all and sonetime just downright get it wrong.
Rob Bartelink
My wife and I had a similar experience to that of Happy James at the Mthatha Home Affairs office.
After making telephonic enquiries and being assured that the office would be open on Saturday we, somewhat sceptically, arrived at the Mthatha office of Home Affairs at 8am on Saturday February 28, 2009 to be greeted by a smiling Ayanda Godlo who processed our passport applications with the minimum fuss.
Within 30 minutes we had completed the relevant forms with Ayanda assuring us that the applications would receive his immediate attention.
Having resigned ourselves to the customary eight-week delay in the receiving of our passports, imagine my delight when, after three weeks, Ayanda contacted me to inform us that our passports had arrived. And this in the supposed backwater of Mthatha!
Kudos to Ayanda and his team at the Mthatha office, you guys are an asset to the civil service. Keep up the good work.
R Speyers
I would like to add my voice to that of your other reader about the improved quality of service at Home Affairs
My wife and I have just renewed our passports at the Home Affairs office in Harrison Street, Johannesburg.
Despite the crowds, it took no more than fifteen minutes to deliver the forms and pay application fees and five minutes to pick them up a few weeks later.
Wouldn't it be great if some of our private sector organisations - one thinks of Telkom and Vodacom - could provide as good a service. The queues at places like Woolworths and Dischem are often longer and slower than those at Home Affairs.
Mike Muller
And the bad...
I know someone who applied for a SA passport renewal at Randburg Home Affairs on August 4, 2008. Every time they check the website, there is no information reflected and you cannot get through to the Randburg offices - phones continually ring unanswered.
When this person got through to them in February 2009, the passport was still not there. How many years does it take to get a passport issued? It will no doubt be ready for collection just before the 10 year expiry date!!! Welcome to SA...???
Tricia Harrison