Tina, who wanted to apply for her daughter’s ID says the doors to the Home Affairs offices were still closed after 9am.
“There was a disclaimer on the door that stated that the staff was in a meeting and would resume duty and open the doors at 9am,” she says.
“Long after 9am, we were still waiting in line.”
Tina says when she asked the security guards about the matter they gave her an evasive response.
“They said their hands are tied and they cannot do anything about it,” she adds.
“The queue was just ridiculous.”
Upon arrival at the offices, Bhuti Mazibuko (49) also verified Tina’s claims, stating that he too had been waiting for a long time to get efficient service.
“The staff has not been efficient and has failed to assist us properly,” he says.
“Yesterday, after spending a long time in the queue, I was sent back home without being assisted.”
Bhuti says he had travelled all the way from Mpumalanga to find assistance in Springs regarding a deceased relative.
Upon speaking to Michael Morake (57), the Advertiser was made aware that the long queues are not a general problem experienced by all.
He says he was served within 20 minutes of arrival and was satisfied with the service he had received.
“The service has been good and the staff members know what they are doing,” he adds.
“We have no complaints and have been assisted to our satisfaction.”
Office manager, Tlwaelo Modisane, says he is unaware of the complaint reported by Tina.
“Such complaints, if they are valid, should be reported directly to management as we are always willing to assist,” he says.
He adds that he arrived at work at 6.10am and stood outside his office to overlook the outside of the premises, where early arrivals normally stand.
“I did not see anyone here at 7am and I stood outside until 7.20am before I went back inside,” he says. Tlwaelo adds that the disclaimer regarding the staff meeting is not anything new to clients.
“Every last Wednesday of the month, we have a staff meeting from 7.30am to 9am,” he says.
“If we were late as reported, it couldn’t have been by more than five minutes as we pride ourselves on punctuality.”
Tlwaelo wishes to apologise to any client who feels they were not assisted to a satisfactory level.
“We pride ourselves in being one of the best offices in Ekurhuleni so we apologise for any misunderstandings.” he adds.
“We will do our best to avoid such occurrences in future.”
