Durban - Outraged residents in Durban, who are desperately trying to get official documents from the Department of Home Affairs, are hoping President Cyril Ramaphosa bucks up service delivery in government offices.
Standing in queues that frequently snake outside, those requiring Smart IDs, passports and marriage and birth certificates have had enough and vented their frustration to POST last week.
They are tired of leaving their homes before dawn to wait outside various home affairs branches, only to leave in the afternoon without having been served.
Those who return days later, hoping to make the cut, have by now learned to take along food and beverages, camping chairs and umbrellas.
Their frustration increases when they progress to the front counter, only to be told that they are in the wrong queue or that the computer system is offline.
But that is just the tip of the iceberg, they said.
People have resorted to paying for spots in the queue.
Ablution facilities and seating are also in short supply, causing discomfort for the elderly, disabled and pregnant women.
Department of Home Affairs provincial manager, Cyril Mncwabe, said long queues were a daily occurrence and nothing could be done.
“People decide on their own when to visit our offices. This is happening countrywide and not particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.”
He added that not every person would be assisted within the time available and that he was not aware of staff shortages.
“We strive to fill vacancies as and when they occur. We also do not condone any negative attitude of staff in the department.”
Asked why some offices do not provide services such as passport applications, he said it was due to the infrastructure required and the resources available in those offices.
Mncwabe said the department would act if proof was available of staff selling spaces and that every office had a manager and the community should engage with him or her on issues they wanted clarity on.
“I am also available to respond to some concerns should they be brought to my attention.”
IFP MP Narend Singh said the party’s offices had been flooded with calls from constituents experiencing difficulties or complications in applying for documents.
They also complained about the general lack of service delivery from other departments.
“I recently wrote to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Fatima Chohan, about service delivery issues and complaints at the Park Rynie office in Scottburgh.
“We will continue to raise these issues in the national assembly and provincial legislature as well as through our offices, which deal directly with the Ministry of Home Affairs in trying to resolve difficulties.
“It is becoming problematic,” Singh added.
Minority Front secretary and spokesperson Councillor Jonathan Annipen said the party was in the process of making recommendations to the national department to consider opening offices in Phoenix and Chatsworth.
“We hope this will reduce the crowds in central and outlying areas, which pose a great inconvenience and expense to these poor communities.”
He added that communicating with the department’s provincial offices had proved to be futile.
“Many government employees,” said Annipen, “could not care less about the way they treat individuals.”