WATCH: Staff accused of texting while people wait at Tongaat Home Affairs

The Home Affairs department in Tongaat has been put in the spotlight after a video of front staff busy on their cell phones went viral on social media this week.

The video, which has been watched more than 200 000 times, shows staff members on their phones while citizens, who had reportedly been standing in long queues for hours, were not being attended to.

According to acting Home Affairs Director-General Thulani Mavuso, the use of cell phones by front office officials while performing their duties is prohibited.

“We cannot afford acts of this nature at a time when Home Affairs is battling to reduce unbearable queues to which citizens are subjected, and thus the need for an investigation which should really show our commitment to winning the war against queues at our offices,” said Mavuso.

Social media users were outraged after viewing the footage.

Phindile Mtambo commented on Facebook saying, “Whether the system was offline or not, their conduct was unprofessional… Totally unacceptable!”

Samantha Akker Basson said, “The reason why the queue is around the block and down the street, and the people have to queue from 3am in the morning. This is why we have to come back 3-4 times to collect an ID or Passport.”

Zanomzi Zoto said, “That is an excuse and it’s not acceptable. People are awaiting and you are busy with your phone. Action must be taken now and we want feedback.”

Despite receiving huge back-lash, some people shared a different view on the matter, suggesting that the system may have been down, leaving staff with nothing to do.

“People should seriously calm down! We’ve been there recently and yes it took us two days to get our application done. This video is not reflecting the truth! Their systems go down a lot so what must these guys do? I have seen how these guys work their backsides off to help the people!” said Annerie Somerville.

Ntebo Kreative commented, “But what if he’s waiting for the system to load or something? We are too quick to jump the gun… Just saying…”

“They use cell phones for their work. I was there recently and they were adding info in. Maybe that’s how we get our SMS. They really worked hard considering the system was down again,” said Gavin Falcke.

Thulani Mavuso has reportedly instructed the provincial manager for KZN, Cyril Mncwabe, to visit the office and conduct an urgent investigation.

https://www.facebook.com/ZANeighbourhoodsWatch/videos/501076470299962/

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