Solly Msimanga, current Tshwane mayor and candidate for Gauteng Premiere, said that delays in issuing visas and permits are worrying, following an oversight visit to Rivonia.
The oversight visit was conducted at the offices of VFS Global which are out-sourced by the Department of Home Affairs to assist with processing visas and permits. This was done to help ease some of the burdens on the Department of Home Affairs.
Jacques Julius, the Democratic Alliance’s Team One spokesperson on immigration said that the waiting time of visas to be issued is still a concern of theirs. Although the task was outsourced to VFS to reduce delays, it appears this is still a problem. “We welcome all documented immigrants to South Africa, we want to create a situation where it’s very smooth and easy for people to enter this country because we know the benefits of a proper immigration system.”
Msimanga highlighted that although this system is meant to reduce delays, it is a paid-for service, which means it is not necessarily accessible to every person hoping to obtain a permit. Msimanga said that one of their key concerns is that many people may not be able to afford the service and are unwilling to stand in queues at Home Affairs offices for days on end, therefore not obtaining any documentation at all.
“The system that they have here is of great quality that in my mind is something that Home Affairs should have done in the first place and how to process documents for people and make it more efficient and user-friendly so that people can have a good experience when they are at Home Affairs.”
Msimanga added that the management of VFS Global explained that their duty is only to receive the applications and ensure that all the required documents are attached to the application and the final decision still lies with the Department of Home Affairs.
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