Upgrade woes at Home Affairs offices
Empangeni Home Affairs office is a picture of utter decay.
BROKEN toilets, torn down walls, rubbish, human faeces – and now a dead cat.
All is part of the scenery at the Empangeni Home Affairs offices.
A storm water culvert in the greenbelt area next to the office has become a veritable rubbish dump, with residents waiting in the long queues using the area to relieve themselves.
Municipal workers have established that water running through the culvert is not sewage, but rather waste water from shops in the CBD.
It is a picture of utter decay.
One resident raised concerns that the image of the offices was portraying Empangeni as a filthy town to visiting tourists.
A losing battle
According to Home Affairs Empangeni office Manager, Vusi Mjadu, he is fighting a losing battle.
‘Yesterday I cleaned the office and outside myself. Our cleaner is on leave, and to get a replacement is a very long process,’ said Mjadu.
He explained why the ablution systems have broken down five times in a year.
‘It’s the misuse by the public,’ he said. ‘We have found disposable nappies and whole rolls of toilet paper flushed down the toilets.’
Despite this, he has made the staff toilets available to the public and has instructed security to allow people to use the bathrooms if they had a pressing need.
According to Mjadu, this is the first year the office will get a budget to maintain the grounds.
But more needs to be done.
Currently, the premises need to be upgraded and made to look respectable, creating a comfortable environment for the hundreds of people who move through the offices every day.
Mjadu explained that even with a budget, it takes months to get the approval needed to carry out work on the grounds.
‘I am trying, but I am fighting a losing battle.’
@kcowan23
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