by Loushe Jordaan Gilbert

With the national and provincial elections taking place on the 29^th May 2024, Home Affairs extended its operating hours to accommodate those who may need an Identity Document (ID) or temp to register to vote.

Although this may be seen as a good gesture, many people have come forward saying that the system used at home affairs and any other government institution is not well run.

Speaking to VOC news, residents across the Cape Flats shared their experience when visiting Home Affairs branches.

“My experience at Home Affairs was not entirely bad, it is just the waiting period that is a bit unnecessary.”

“Exhausting, that is the only way I can explain it. You stand for hours on end and its like no one knows what their job function is at Home Affairs.”

“They need to come up with a system that actually works, they can not continue to waste our time like this, we come with an appointment and end up staying there for the entire day.”

Another resident said that loadshedding hampers service delivery at government institutions, which is unacceptable as people pay a lot of tax towards bettering service delivery.

When asked about the online system that is in place to alleviate the long queues and ensure that people are assisted digitally, a frustrated citizen said the disadvantaged and unemployed people do not benefit from this system at all.

“We already do not have money to afford the basics, now we have to find money, in many cases, borrow money just for the system to crash or for us to be told that we actually have to go to a branch,” she added.

Another resident said the waiting period for ID collections is too long and something needs to be done to better the services at the facility.

“I applied for my ID in December; they told me in two weeks I will receive an SMS to say where I must collect my ID. It is February already and still nothing. They should just do what they get paid for because when we pay tax, no one reminds us to do so.”

VOC News has reached out to the Department of Home Affairs; however, we did not get an official comment regarding the current system in place and the measures they would use to better the services provided and Home Affairs branches.