PUBLIC APPLAUDS AS HOME AFFAIRS WINS WAR OF THE QUEUES

It was busy and productive and people leaving looked satisfied

The old days of spending hours on hot, dusty pavements are over after local officials put in a quick, quiet and orderly services system.

From hellish to heavenly – the dreaded East London Fleet Street Home Affairs office has done a U-turn and is now offering great service.

The Dispatch was told by officials that this was a result of a “war on queues” campaign started three months ago.

In April, images of a young woman in the queue who fainted being carried by the arms and feet to an ambulance went viral.

She had waited for several hours at the crowded branch.

A few weeks later, an elderly woman in the queue also collapsed there.

When a Dispatch team visited the Fleet street branch yesterday, there was no queue outside the premises.

A man in an official shirt came up to the Dispatch at the door immediately and asked: “How may I help you?”

The team saw that every member of the public who entered the door got the same polite, helpful treatment.

At the counters and in the aisles supervisors were working with people finding out what they needed and directing them to the right place. It was busy and productive and people leaving looked satisfied.

Lizelle Peters, accompanying her daughter to fetch her smart ID, applauded the excellent service, saying it had all happened within 30 minutes.

Chief director Gcinile Mabulu told the Dispatch they had received positive feedback from clients at many branches but especially the one in Fleet Street, East London.

Mabulu said they told the office manager to start sorting the queues by asking people what services they sought.

Mabulu said he and hundreds of other directors across the country met Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba last Thursday to give a progress report on their personal War on Queues campaign.

He said they presented a positive report but “a few areas still need attention after there was a negative response,” he said.

One of the areas still facing problems is the Mdantsane branch, which does not have a live capture system to issue out smart IDs because the premises is “too small for system installations,” said Mabulu.

Home Affairs was waiting to be allocated a new building in Mdantsane by the department of public works.

“We have been waiting for too long. It seems we will be granted an alternative building instead of a new one,” said Mabulu.

One of the strategies in place is to get people with late birth registration to apply first and then wait to be called to come and get their certificates.

The Births and Deaths Registration Act says all births must be registered within 30 days.

If a child’s birth is not registered within 30 days, it is considered a late registration of birth.

One of the areas still facing problems is the Mdantsane branch, which does not have a live capture system to issue out smart IDs