Councillors called to intervene at Home Affairs office

The slow pace of service delivery raised tensions at the Home Affairs Department in Alexandra Street on Monday.
Residents waiting in a snaking queue from 5.30am were distressed to still be waiting in line at noon, even though they claimed the chairs in the office reserved for clients were vacant.

Tired of waiting in the scorching sun, some residents notified Ward Six PR Councillor Mthembeni Majola, seeking his assistance because they were not receiving a satisfactory response from Home Affairs officials or the security guard. Mr Majola contacted Ward Six Councillor Breen Ally Buckus and together they sought get answers from the officials.
They explained to an Estcourt News reporter that an official told them that the department could only attend to just over 100 clients a day and that the quota for Monday had been achieved.

Both Messrs Majola and Buckus were of the view that officials should have notified the waiting residents that they would no longer accept any clients instead of leaving them to wonder if they were any closer to being helped.
“This is madness. “The department should employ more people or inform people accordingly of their procedures. When I got here the empty chairs were filled quickly,” said Mr Buckus. Mr Majola was aggrieved about the manner in which the waiting residents were treated.

“There are old people and women who are breast feeding who have been waiting outside for hours. When I came to the office there were empty chairs, why were the people not helped? “The office is too hot when everyone is waiting inside so the officials only allow one person inside at a time. “My main concern is that people are not informed that the number for the day has been reached and that they should return on another day. Where are the Batho Pele principles?” he said.