I had the longest wait ever at Home Affairs Alberton to apply for an unabridged certificate. I was there at 7am to join the queue for when they open at 8am on October 17. I went in the queue to enquiries at 8.35am to see where I must sit and wait. I was 10th in the queue. At 9am I was waiting at the designated waiting area where I was 15th in the row. At 11am I was called and helped and redirected to the enquiries counter to get a number for the cashier queue. I got the number at 11.15am. While waiting for my number to be called to do payment on my application, myself and a few other citizens realised that there was this one young man who was called to the cashier about 20 times already since the morning and his numbers were random as well as being helped by the designated windows for different applications. We were waiting since 11.15am and it was already 12.45pm and still waiting. We were about 15. When some of the other clients confronted him he pointed out that the number he received were lower than ours and he was an agent. Just after that, the cashier started calling numbers below his numbers and he seemed to back off and we were helped within five minutes.
Just wondering if the agent is giving the Home Affairs Officials kickbacks in order to speed up his applications and it doesn’t seem fair to the other citizens waiting hours to be served. And it wasn’t as if he handed in bulk applications like the mortuary guy with the death certificate applications.
Having to wait six hours from entry into the office for one application by an ordinary citizen is totally ridiculous.
Concerned resident – Alberton
*The RECORD did ask for comment and will publish it as soon as it is received.
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