Residents from Alberton and surrounding areas have voiced frustration over what they describe as ongoing service delivery challenges at the Alberton Home Affairs office.

Complaints range from recurring system outages to allegations of official misconduct.

Several residents have told the Alberton Record that they frequently travel to the office only to find services unavailable because systems are reportedly offline.

According to complainants, the disruptions often result in wasted transport costs, lost working hours and repeated visits to the office without assistance.

The concerns come amid a separate complaint from resident Alfred Sibanda, who alleges he has been unable to obtain his replacement smart ID card since 2024, despite multiple attempts.

Sibanda said he applied for a replacement smart ID card and passport at the Randburg Home Affairs office in 2024 after his documents were stolen. He chose to collect the documents at the Alberton office.

According to Sibanda, an official questioned why he intended to collect his documents in Alberton when he had submitted the application in Randburg.

He claims that after responding that, as a South African citizen, he had the right to collect his documents at any Home Affairs office, he was referred to the immigration section.

Sibanda alleges that during the subsequent interaction, he was questioned about his ancestry and educational background.

He said that after disclosing that he had attended school in Zimbabwe, he was instructed to provide school records within 14 days or risk having his documents blocked.

He alleges that, upon his return without the requested records, an official demanded R5 000 to facilitate the release of his documents.

According to Sibanda, he later returned to collect the documents and was allegedly asked for a “cold drink”, which he understood to be a request for R5 000.

He claims he was informed that only his passport was available and that another official would be contacted regarding his ID card.

Sibanda said that despite the application being submitted in 2024, he is still attempting to obtain his smart ID card.

“I am so confused and sad that this type of corruption has so much authority,” Sibanda said.

The Alberton Record has submitted questions to the Department of Home Affairs regarding the service delivery complaints and Sibanda’s allegations.

Questions include whether the department is aware of the complaints, whether any investigations have been launched, what measures are in place to address service disruptions, and what safeguards are in place to prevent bribery and corruption within Home Affairs offices.

At the time of publication, the Department of Home Affairs had not responded to requests for comment.

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