On June 12, I went to the office to apply for an unabridged birth certificate for my child.
I waited patiently in the white barricaded queue outside. Even though it was cold I persisted, but after waiting for about an hour I noticed that the queue was not moving, I went to the security officers to ask whether officials were on duty and why there was such a delay. No one was saying a word but everyone was grumbling and unhappy about the situation. The security officer informed me that they thought the systems were offline and there was a shortage of staff in the offices, but the inside offices had a few people.
My concern was that no one even bothered to announce to the members of the public why the queue was not moving. The officials at Home Affairs don’t have even the decency to help people appropriately – instead, they just move up and down, and do not seem to understand what is going on.
They do not care about the people. Batho Pele principles do not exist in that office; queue management doesn’t exist. As a member of the public, I had to assist elderly and illiterate people to show them where they should wait. I was only assisted at 3.45pm after arriving at 10.30am. Surely the newly appointed minister has to intervene.
Thembi Mazibuko, Meyersdal
*The RECORD did ask for comment, but had not received it by the time of going to press.
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