DA calls on Minister Motsoaledi to urgently deal with unbearably long queues at Home Affairs

14 March 2022

Note to Editors: Please find an attached soundbite by Angel Khanyile MP

In August 2021 the Department of Home Affairs appeared before the Portfolio Committee and announced that they will be introducing an appointment system that was piloted at high volume Home Affairs branches in the Western Cape, Gauteng and KZN.

Yet, the DA continues to be inundated with complaints from residents in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West, stating that Home Affairs offices in their areas continue to have unbearably long queues.

The offices we received most complaints about include:

Alberton (Gauteng);

Krugersdorp (Gauteng);

Prospecton (KZN);

Scottburg (KZN); and

Mokgwase (NW);

Bribery operations have allegedly become rife at the gates of these Home Affairs offices, where members of the community allegedly pay a bribe and leave their IDs to be prioritised in the queue.  This causes queue delays and members of the community spending days at Home Affairs offices.

Community members have also complained about the Home Affairs office in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, and Msunduzi Municipality in KZN, where it is said that members of the community spend days at the branch due to the branches’ frequent broadband connectivity issues.

Repeated visits to the Department of Home Affairs are not only inconvenient, but they also cost a lot of money, especially for those who are poor. People are forced to use their last cents to obtain important documents only to be turned away time after time due to Home Affair's operational inadequacies.

We call on the Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to urgently ensure there is a queue designated for each service and help address long queues at the various Home Affairs offices.

I will soon be conducting oversight inspections to some of the most troublesome Home Affairs offices in the country to amplify the plight of residents who spend hours and sometimes days in queues due to the inefficiency of these offices.

Issued by Angel Khanyile, DA Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, 14 March 2022