Ward 98 councillor wants better service delivery at Cresta Home Affairs
Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs has experience poor services first hand at Cresta Home Affairs branch, and is calling for a change.
Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs has expressed urgent concerns and requested involvement over service delivery 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.
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She explained that the situation on the ground is deeply concerning. “Residents are being told to arrive at 06:00, with the hopes of being served only by 18:00. This 12-hour wait is unacceptable and disproportionately affects vulnerable members of our community.”
The ward councillor said that the officials, at around 15:30, told the people waiting in the queue since the morning, that they will 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 really require your ID for whatever reason, there’s a glitch and there’s no consistency in the process.”
Jacobs is also unsatisfied with the online system, as it currently reflects the next available booking on August 5, and at a completely different branch (Randburg Home Affairs). “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.”
She listed the following three things that she is concerned about:
- Excessive waiting times,
- Lack of viable appointment options, and
- System downtime and communication failures.
“While I am aware of the commendable improvements 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. I raise these concerns in the spirit of partnership and service to our constituents.”
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