The new office will be at the bustling mall’s parking level, near the centre’s NuMetro cinema. File picture
Home Affairs queues are infamous in the country, with South Africans sometimes having to wake up at the break of dawn in order to get inside the buildings and get their documents processed.
This is why the minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is adding more branches to assist people and lift the load in other locations. The latest is due to open at the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Durban on April 22.
The new office will be at the bustling mall’s parking level, near the centre’s NuMetro cinema. So, Durbanites can shop while having a bit more convenience to access the office.
The branch will offer passport and ID services and people need to make appointments, as walk-ins will not be allowed, according to Lungile Gwagwa from the mall.
“There is a demand for a Home Affairs office here because we have been having a lot of enquiries. People are interested,” she said.
The department has begun opening branches in popular shopping malls across the country. The minister initially mentioned this in his 2022/23 budget speech.
“Our people stand in ugly and unyielding long queues, even in the rain or the scorching sun. They even struggle to find parking for their cars. As an immediate relief measure, we have been engaging several malls in the country,” he said.
On Thursday, April 11, the minister officially opened a new Home Affairs office at the Cresta Shopping Centre in Randburg as part of “concerted efforts to improve access to services for clients.”
This followed the March 2023 opening of an office at Menlyn Shopping Centre in Pretoria East, which provides smart ID card and passport services to clients on the go as they shop.
IOL News