The newly launched “Home Affairs at Home” campaign by Minister Leon Schreiber, aimed at delivering passports to South Africans abroad, has come under fire, with ActionSA accusing the department of prioritising “luxury for the diaspora” while citizens at home endure poor service.
The “Home Affairs at Home” campaign seeks to spare South Africans living abroad the hassle of repeated embassy visits by having passports delivered directly to their doorsteps.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the move, noting that citizens have long been forced to make multiple costly trips to embassies and Home Affairs offices, first to apply and then again to collect their documents.
According to the DA, the passport delivery rollout officially kicks off on November 1, where it will allow citizens in 18 major cities worldwide, including London, Sydney, Auckland, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New York, Washington DC, Ottawa, Beijing, Berlin, The Hague, Manchester, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Perth, Wellington, Shanghai, and Düsseldorf, to receive their passports by courier, a process the DA says will be more efficient.
However, ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni hit back, saying that while the minister boasts about this new “innovation,” millions of South Africans at home continue to face daily humiliation at struggling Home Affairs offices, waiting in endless queues, battling system crashes, and begging for basic services that are their constitutional right.
“It is both tone-deaf and offensive that Minister Schreiber finds money to courier passports to London, Dubai or Sydney, while grandmothers in Mthatha and Alexandra and learners in Diepsloot cannot access an ID to collect their social grants or write their matric exams and apply to study at tertiary institutions,” she said.
Ngobeni accused the Department of Home Affairs of abandoning ordinary South Africans, saying the initiative exposes “a tale of two South Africas,” one for the privileged few living abroad and another for the forgotten majority at home.
She said Schreiber must explain why “convenience for the diaspora takes precedence over dignity for citizens here.”
Ngobeni added that true progress cannot be measured by technology alone, arguing that modernisation without accessibility is meaningless. She urged Schreiber to reconsider what she described as a publicity exercise until the deep-rooted challenges faced by citizens are addressed, saying South Africans need efficient services, shorter queues, and committed staff, not courier deliveries to foreign addresses.
“It is unconscionable that South Africans must queue for days while those living abroad enjoy VIP courier services at taxpayers’ expense. South Africans deserve working systems before luxury innovations abroad.
“Until the Department can deliver dignity to citizens at home, it has no business pretending to deliver efficiency abroad,” she added.
Ngobeni said ActionSA will submit a written question to Schreiber demanding full transparency on the cost of the overseas delivery scheme. She questioned who would be responsible for funding the courier and logistical services, warning that early estimates suggest the initiative could cost taxpayers millions of rand each year, money she believes would be better spent improving and staffing the country’s struggling Home Affairs offices.
Speaking to The Star, Thulani Mavuso, spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs and Deputy Director-General, clarified that the courier service will be optional, with clients covering the cost, not taxpayers.
He explained that the development of systems enabling the service will come from the department’s modernisation budget. Highlighting the benefits, Mavuso said: “Doorstep delivery of passports for South African citizens living abroad is a major step that will reduce waiting times for applications from up to 18 months to just five weeks.”
When asked why the department is prioritising passport delivery for citizens abroad over improving local Home Affairs services, Mavuso explained that many South Africans living overseas lack nearby application centres.
“For instance, a client in Miami must travel to New York to apply and then return to collect their documents, a costly and time-consuming process,” he said.
Mavuso added that the doorstep delivery service will initially be handled by a third party, and once the system is proven safe and efficient for the relatively small overseas population, the department plans to expand the service to all South Africans, including through a new digital partnership model with the banking sector.
He emphasised that the programme will not pull resources away from local offices, with funding already accounted for. Its success will be monitored through client feedback both abroad and at home. The department hailed the reform as a landmark move to enhance inclusivity by resolving long-standing problems experienced by South Africans overseas, while advancing its broader mission to transform Home Affairs into a leading authority in identity management.
The Star
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