UPDATE: Home Affairs investigates claims of ‘arrogant’ security guards
Security guards are responsible for searching all individuals who enter the office. However, some of the clients 'refuse and enter the office unauthorised
Complaints of the ‘arrogant, racist and intimidating’ security officers at the Estcourt Home Affairs office surfaced earlier last month.
READ THE STORY HERE: ‘Arrogant’ security guards make Estcourt Home Affairs visit unpleasant
The Estcourt News featured an article where a local recalled her unpleasant visit to the office. Her complaints were:
• The security guard was so arrogant towards us and asked me what I was doing there.
• More issues arose when their youngest child entered in a push bike
• No assistance was received on the day.
The woman previously asked to remain anonymous for the fear of victimisation. Since then the Estcourt Home Affairs Office Manager Nsindiso Yengwa conducted an investigation.
Her findings were as follows:
“I remember this case because I was at the public hall when this family entered the office. The daughter and the wife of the complainant just entered the office without being searched and took seats at the legacy queue, which was a wrong queue and also because there was no space in the collections queue even though additional seats were added in this queue.
They did not go to the help desk where the first official was seated.
The security guard managed to stop only the husband, since he was walking at a slow pace because of the child he was pushing.
Yes, the security guard classified the push bike as ‘bicycles’ as he was aware that bicycles are not allowed inside the office.
However upon enquiry with the Office Manager, the push bike was classified with prams and the husband accepted the apology and even spoke to the security guard jokingly about the future.
The queue was already cut because of the high volume inside the office, as we cannot unfairly keep clients that we know for sure will not make it through on the day. This was explained to the husband and again to the wife and daughter and they were happy with the explanation.”
Ms Yengwa wants the public to note that the security guards are responsible for searching all individuals who enter the office. However, some of the clients ‘refuse and enter the office unauthorised’.
NOW READ: No respite in sight at Home Affairs in Estcourt
She added that if clients can’t be assisted on the day they visit there is an option to be listed for the following day.
“The onus is on the clients to decide to be listed or not listed for the following day. If the complainant can give us the exact date they could not be assisted, we can provide a list for those not assisted on the day and be able to trace whether this family registered their names or not,” explained Ms Yengwa.
Provincial KwaZulu Natal Home Affairs Manager Cyril Mncwabe finds the response from the investigation ‘sufficient.’
“The Office Manager was on site on the day and has shared the version of what happened on the day. The explanation from my Manager is sufficient to me as there was an engagement with the couple and the situation was resolved,” said Mr Mncwabe.
Kathleen Driemeyer the woman who made the complaint called the findings ‘absolute rubbish’.
SEE THIS: ‘Nightmarish’ service at Home Affairs Estcourt office
“On the day, I entered the office to get a copy of my child’s birth certificate. My husband and children only entered five minutes later, so already that is a lie. Obviously they will not accept that there is a problem, but there is a huge one they need to sort it out. I understand that the security guards are doing their job, but we all have a right to be treated with respect,” she said with fury.
Since the Driemeyer family’s last unpleasant visit to the local Home Affairs office, they had been to the Harrismith office.
“We were in and out in an hour. We got all our stuff done and the service was excellent. I will NEVER go back to the Estcourt office. The Harrismith staff was very helpful and friendly, the differences between the two offices are like day and night,” added Mrs Driemeyer.
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