#EditorsNote: Never ending Home Affairs queues
|Published
My daughter, a cricket fanatic, has designs on attending next year’s Cricket World Cup in England and Wales. She has been scrounging, saving and - mostly - praying to raise funds to go to the tournament, from the end of May until the finals on July 14.
Her stay there, if she goes, will depend, I suppose, on how far the Proteas go.
Earlier this year, we decided to go renew her passport so she’ll be ready when the big day dawns next year.
A friend once gave me advice and said the best Home Affairs offices to go to are in the small towns where the queues are shorter. When I renewed my passport seven years ago, I went east, to Brakpan, on a Saturday morning, where we were only three people in the queue.
So, off we went to Brakpan again. Lo and behold, when we got there we were confronted by a crowd that flowed out of the offices and around the block. And this was at around 7am.
Someone said: “Try Benoni.”
So off we went to Kleinfontein in Benoni. Alas, the multitudes there were even worse. Someone in the queue said: “Try Edenvale.”
Again we dashed to Van Riebeeck Avenue in Edenvale, still full of hope.
When we got to the old Checkers building, around 9.30am, the queues were something to behold. They spilt out of the Home Affairs building, some people under umbrellas on picnic chairs. Someone in the crowd said: “Try Wynberg.”
Again off we went to Main Road, in Wynberg, Sandton, a full circle as it is closer to home. We were met by an even longer - and an even more agitated - crowd.
A parking attendant shook his head and said: “You must arrive at 3.30am.”
This, in a nutshell, is my experience with Home Affairs this year. The department said the queues were sparked by rumours that the green barcoded ID book would reach the end of its lifespan on March 30, 2018. The rumours were baloney, of course.
Yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba announced an easing of travel laws and visa restrictions for foreigners coming to this country. I wish they would also attend to the queues at Home Affairs offices.