Woman outraged with treatment at Home Affairs in Tzaneen

Emma Schourie, co-owner of Robala ka Kgotso Tombstones, had to collect her new identity card (ID) after getting married. “I went to their offices on July 15 after receiving a message that said I should collect my ID card. When I got there, I was told that the system was down. I returned on numerous occasions after the 15th and on every occasion was told that the system is offline.”

Also read: People spend hours in line at Home Affairs

She told the Herald that on Tuesday, August 23, she went back after she asked one of her employees to first check if they were online. “When I arrived they said that the system was offline. After another long wait, I asked if the system will be back any time soon. The official said she does not know. I asked if I can talk to someone who can help since I have tried to collect my ID card on so many previous occasions. She showed me a bench and said I should sit down, and maybe, I can see the manager.”

Also read: TZANEEN: ‘Undivided attention’ to be given to issues at Home Affairs

Schourie was told that only the acting manager was available. “The officials were talking to each other and ignored me. I decided to take a video of them. After a while, the acting manager greeted me and asked me what I want. I explained my situation and asked if there is a chance that the system might be back online. She said she does not know. I then asked if there is anything that can be done, and she said that she cannot do anything, they have to wait for the people in Pretoria,” said Schourie.

The video shown to the Herald shows how an official and the acting manager ignore Schourie as they continue to talk. “I was treated badly and the official was very rude. They ended up telling me that there is nothing they can do for me,” she said. In the video the official tells Schourie that she is not the first person to complain, they deal with complaints all the time and there is nothing Schourie can do. “This shows that people have been complaining about their service. They are not addressing the problem or have a permanent solution for it.

Also read: Tzaneen: Home Affairs horrors far from over

“There are old people who arrive very early in the morning and are turned away after queuing for long hours having spent money on transport for nothing,” she said. Schourie eventually received her ID card on Monday, August 29. “My life has been put on hold, I could not even renew my driver’s license because I didn’t have an ID card,” said Schourie. In March the Herald received a letter from a resident saying she went to the Home Affairs office at 06:30 and had to wait for hours before she could get any help.

“I am writing this to you as I stand in the filth and in the blazing sun outside the Tzaneen Home Affairs waiting to collect my passport and ID. I have been in the line for seven hours and am still standing here. How can a government department treat their fellow South Africans in such a poor manner? The elderly and babies are literally sleeping on the pavement and in the alley as they can no longer stand in the queue,” she said.

In April a similar complaint about Home Affairs was received by the Herald. “I spend R100 every day on transport to collect my ID. It has been two months and still I can’t get my ID,” stated an email received. Herald contacted the Department of Home Affairs in Tzaneen on Tuesday, August 30. No one was available for comment as they had closed their offices at 15:00, even though the official closing time is 16:00