The Department of Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has promised more new Home Affairs offices in shopping malls across the country.
Motsoaledi said the initiative is meant to give the public an opportunity to apply for a smart ID cards and passport services while they do their shopping.
New Cresta shopping mall office, more to follow
The minister was speaking on Thursday during the opening of a new Home Affairs office at the Cresta Shopping Centre in Randburg, Johannesburg. This is part of concerted efforts to improve access to services for clients.
The Cresta mall Home Affairs office launch follows the opening of a similar office at Menlyn shopping centre in Pretoria East. It was launched in March last year, offering smart ID card and passport services to clients on the go.
“We started last year with opening new Home Affairs offices in malls. It started in Menlyn and now we are doing Cresta. Next week we are going to Durban to open a new Home Affairs office at a mall there. Then we will be back to Joburg, then we open a new Home Affairs office at a mall in Cape Town. We are fulfilling the promise we made to parliament that we will open new Home Affairs offices in malls,” said Motsoaledi.
The Cresta shopping centre Home Affairs office has nine service points where clients can apply for a smart ID cards and passports. It also has four collection points for these, two offices, and one boardroom.
The new Home Affairs office is located on the first floor of the shopping centre.
Operating hours
Its operating hours are 8am to 3:30pm from Monday to Friday. On the last Wednesday of the month, the operating hours are 9am to 3:30pm.
The office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
The new office was packed with dozens of clients who were applying for a smart ID card and a passport.
Motsoaledi was even interacting with some of the clients in the new offices.
Picture taken by Home Affairs
Meanwhile, the department has annouced that it has opened its offices for five hours a day on Saturdays. The service will be from April 6 to May 25 (excluding April 27) for ID collection services. Also facilitation of new applications and issuance of Temporary Identity Certificates.
Saturday services for April and May
The department also said their offices will also be resolving challenges. These pertain to duplicates, amendments, rectifications and dead-alive cases. They will be facilitated with the required supporting documents.
Operating hours will be from 8am to 1pm.
The department also said mobile offices are also scheduled to return to deliver IDs in the remote areas where they took applications from.
Local offices, working with stakeholders that include councillors, will communicate the dates, times and venues of those visits. Mobile offices will be used to support the identified local offices.
Moreover, the department said clients can now book appointments to collect their smart ID cards and green barcoded ID books. This can be done before visiting offices by using the branch appointment booking system (BABS). Alternatively, clients can simply visit the Home Affairs offices without making a booking.
