LETTER: Home Affairs’ digital promises don’t match reality
Author and resident writes about residents' frustration with Home Affairs delays, saying the reality of online services still falls short of the promises of improved efficiency and convenience.
• Thabile Mange writes:
The other day, I listened to your remarks about how the Department of Home Affairs is advancing with online services and how these initiatives are said to be reducing queues and improving efficiency. Unfortunately, my experience – and that of many other South Africans – tells a very different story.
Last year, I applied online for a new ID and was given an appointment. However, when I arrived at the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office, I still had to stand in a long queue. Instead of saving time, the online system ended up costing me even more time. Rather than making the process easier, it created additional frustration.
Later that same day, a friend phoned me to share his own experience. He waited more than four months to receive his ID. If this is what is meant by efficiency, it is difficult to understand how citizens are benefiting.
In March last year, I applied for a notice of death. To this day – one year and six months later – I have still not received it. I visit the Home Affairs office every month, but nothing changes. I even travelled to Pretoria in an effort to resolve the matter, but I was not assisted. I have written letters to the department, yet the issue remains unresolved. When I first applied, I was told the process would take between three and six months. We are now well beyond that timeframe, with no outcome. Is this efficiency? I believe it is not.
Minister, these examples highlight the gap between the promises made and the reality experienced by ordinary South Africans. While the goal of digitising services is commendable, the implementation is failing the very people it is intended to serve. I urge the Department to address these shortcomings urgently so that citizens can genuinely benefit from the services they are entitled to.
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Home Affairs on strengthening online services
The Department of Home Affairs has since launched an upgraded online booking system on the MyHomeAffairsOnline platform, introducing enhanced security measures to prevent the abuse of booking slots and improve access to services.
Users are now required to create a MyHomeAffairsOnline profile linked to their South African ID number and email address before making a booking. This is intended to ensure that appointments remain available to legitimate clients.
According to Carli van Wyk, spokesperson to the minister, the upgrade follows years of abuse of the previous booking platform by syndicates and other unscrupulous individuals who exploited vulnerabilities in the system by blocking appointment slots and selling them to desperate citizens. As a result, many South Africans struggled to secure appointments for essential Home Affairs services.
The upgraded booking system is available at myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za and forms part of the Department’s digital transformation programme aimed at improving service delivery, combating fraud and making services more secure and convenient for citizens.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said:
“For too long, ordinary South Africans were disadvantaged by criminals who exploited weaknesses in the previous booking system to hoard appointment slots and sell them for profit. The migration of our booking system to MyHomeAffairsOnline directly addresses this abuse by linking bookings to verified user profiles, strengthening the integrity of the system and protecting citizens’ access to services.”
Regarding the Krugersdorp Home Affairs office, residents can contact the office manager, Nozuko Makapela, via email at nozuko.makapela@dha.gov.za or by phone at 011 660 5799.
