Home Affairs needs to expand if it is to win the war on queues

Source: The Mercury, 24/04/2018

Durban - Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba paid a visit to two home
affairs offices in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday. It is part of the
minister`s plan to win the war on queues at the offices.
Speaking at the Umngeni Home Affairs office in Durban on Monday, Gigaba
said the most significant problem experienced by his department, was
the fact that it had less offices than what is needed in the country.
“This area, Umngeni, with a train station nearby, it’s an industrial
area, is near a lot of townships nearby. We need to expand our
footprint in Durban and in KZN so that we are able to reach out to as
many people as possible, closer to where they are to reduce the volumes
and the few offices that we have at the moment,” he said.
He said there were a number of action plans that should be implemented.
`We intend through those to ensure that within the next 12 months, we
do away with queues at Home Affairs, that we restore the dignity of our
people and our client and provide them with a service that is
convenient and of good quality,` he said.
Umngeni was at Gigaba’s second site visit of the day, after his
walkabout of the Pietermaritzburg home affairs office.
The offices were among those earmarked for immediate intervention to
reduce waiting times and the public having to wait outside.
Not having to wait outside is what brought Leon and Caleigh to Umngeni.
The couple is applying for a passport for their 14-month-old daughter
Kiara and while they live in Kloof, they bypassed the Pinetown home
affairs office after hearing countless stories about muggings and the
crime outside that office.
“We heard this was a bigger venue so even if there were queues, there
was a bigger chance we would be queuing inside.”
They had previously gone to the Prospecton office but after waiting for
five hours, were told the system was offline.
This meant a wasted day for the self employed medical professionals who
both have to be present for the passport application.
Gigaba said also on the cards was the expansion of the e-home affairs
branches currently being piloted at some banks.