On a recent oversight inspection at Govan Mbeki Home Affairs, in Mpumalanga, I was incensed at the conditions people were exposed to whilst waiting for assistance. They were waiting in cold weather conditions in long, slow moving queues because of a lack of space inside the service centre, which can only accommodate about 45 people at a time.
I cannot understand why a Home Affairs office in a large urban centre is set up for only 45 people at a time inside. A senior official at this home affairs office also told the DA that insufficient personnel was one of the major reasons for the long and slow-moving queues.
I was deeply saddened as old and frail residents, sick and elderly, stood in line waiting endlessly in the cold.
This is the type of service delivery from the African National Congress (ANC) national government which shows that it simply does not care for the most vulnerable in our society.
We call on the Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, together with the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, to address this issue as a matter of urgency. I will return soon to this Home Affairs office to check-up on progress.
This example is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to government service centres that leave people unsafe or out in the cold, standing for hours on end. I intend to continue my oversight to Home Affairs offices across the country to examine the conditions they provide.