Durban - Critical services like issuing of ID books and birth certificates could soon be available in many Sizakala centres across eThekwini provided that the Department of Home Affairs accepts an offer from the eThekwini Municipality to host these services.
The municipality revealed yesterday that it had made an offer to host these services in many of its centres and buildings.
The matter came up during a discussion at an Executive Committee (Exco) meeting where Exco approved a report to renew a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and Home Affairs that allows outreach workers to carry out programmes on some of the home affairs services, among other activities.
The proposal could bring welcome relief to thousands of community members.
The Mercury recently reported about the frustrations at home affairs offices in the province with a labour union urging the Department of Home Affairs to deal with system challenges that led to customers, who have queued for hours, becoming irate when the system went “offline”.
Sipho Cele, the deputy city manager for Governance and Human Resources, said there was an outreach programme where about a 100 workers, who earn a stipend, go to schools and communities to help people make applications for birth certificates and birth registrations.
“We have made an offer to Home Affairs (for a fully-fledged Home Affairs office that could be run with the help of the city) and it is up to the department to accept the offer.”
Cele said there were 45 Sizakala centres spread across the city.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city “must meet the minister of home affairs in the coming weeks, even if the meeting is virtual”.
City councillors welcomed the proposal, pointing out many of the Home Affairs offices in the city were overcrowded and service happened at a snail’s pace.
ANC councillor Nkosenhle Madlala said: “As the ANC we support the proposal as we have seen the suffering that our people go through as some of them even sleep outside the offices because they need to get services.
DA leader Thabani Mthethwa said they supported the initiative but raised a concern about the outreach staff that were doing home affairs work but were being paid stipends by the city and not the department.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said going forward both the city and the home affairs department should contribute to the stipend.
He said the volunteers who had performed well in their roles should be considered for permanent employment.