The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Siyabonga Cwele, conducted an unannounced visit at the Umgeni office, in eThekwini, to monitor service delivery following the extension of operating hours from 07:00 to 19:00 at most offices.

 

The Minister was accompanied by the acting Director-General, Mr Thulani Mavuso, and KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Manager, Mr Cyril Mncwabe.

 

“I am pleased that our citizens were receiving services at this home affairs office. The staff and the systems were working well,” said Minister Cwele.

 

He was concerned that some school-going children were at home affairs offices while the schools have reopened. He appealed to home affairs officials to prioritise school-going children to ensure that they get back to their schools as quickly as possible.

 

Minister Cwele also observed that there were smart ID cards which were not collected.

 

“We appeal to people who applied for identity documents (IDs) and have received an SMS notification that their documents are ready for collection to please come to collect these documents. IDs are key documents which enable citizens to access many government and private sector services. In an election year, citizens also need IDs to register to vote. We also encourage people to register to vote,” said Minister Cwele.

 

Mr Mavuso and Mr Mncwabe also visited the Chatsworth and Prospecton offices where services were being delivered without glitches.

 

The extension of operating hours at home affairs offices ends on Friday, 11 January 2019.