Ward 98 councillor concerned about poor services at Cresta Home Affairs
Beverley Jacobs, councillor for Ward 98, requests intervention from the Minister of Home Affairs regarding poor service delivery at its Cresta branch
Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs has expressed concern about the poor service at Cresta Home Affairs.
Jacobs was on site at the Cresta Home Affairs office, where she witnessed first-hand the immense challenges faced by residents attempting to access basic Home Affairs services.
She explained that the situation on the ground is deeply concerning. “Residents are being told to arrive at 6:00 with the hope of being served only by 18:00. This 12-hour wait is unacceptable and disproportionately affects vulnerable members of our community.”
Read more: Ward councillor demands answer about Ward 98s homeless shelters
The ward councillor said that officials, at 15:30, told the people who had been waiting in the queue since the morning that they would not be able to assist them.
“They were also told that they shouldn’t come back because they’re only dealing with online people. So, there’s a problem in the system. If you require an urgent passport or you require your ID for whatever reason, there’s a glitch, and there’s no consistency in the process.
“This is not a reasonable option for individuals who require urgent services. After standing in line for several hours, an official emerged to inform the crowd that the systems were offline but that they would ‘try’ to assist people. No clear communication or contingency plan was provided.”
Jacobs is also unsatisfied with the online system as it currently reflects the next available booking on August 5, and at a different branch (Randburg Home Affairs).
She listed the following three things that she is concerned about:
- Excessive waiting times.
- Lack of viable appointment options
- System downtime and communication failures
“While I am aware of the commendable improvements Home Affairs has initiated at the national level, it appears that these changes have not yet been uniformly implemented, particularly in urban areas like Johannesburg.”
Jacobs took the matter further and wrote to Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber requesting immediate intervention to address the inefficiencies at the Cresta Home Affairs branch.
“We need clarity on standard operating procedures; are the long queues, offline systems, and a one-month waiting period the norm?. If not, what measures are being taken to rectify such anomalies? [There needs to be] consideration of a targeted turnaround plan for Gauteng-based branches, where volumes and urgency of need remain high. I raise these concerns in the spirit of partnership and service to our constituents.”
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