Despite widespread criticism of home affairs’ decision to relocate East London’s main office from the city centre to the upmarket Hemingways Mall, the national government has revealed similar plans for Mthatha, Dikeni and Gqeberha.
Home affairs deputy director-general for operations, Thulani Mavuso, defended the department’s plans to move its offices, saying this would enhance efficiency and quality of service for a far lower amount than the department paid for rented office space throughout the country.
National and local politicians have warned the move could restrict access to essential services for low-income residents living in far-flung areas.
Mavuso said the department had been facing issues of vandalism, cramped office space and parking in most branches in the Eastern Cape.
Home affairs intends to occupy more than 3,500m² in Hemingways Mall’s east wing, which has recently undergone major renovations.
The space had been previously used by Pick n Pay. The home affairs main East London branch is now on the corner of Fleet and Cambridge streets in the CBD.
Mavuso said these movements were not new.
“We’ve implemented this in Cape Town and Menlyn Mall in Pretoria and there were no issues.
“It seems the Eastern Cape does not want to develop, because these moves come with a lot of benefits, for us and the public.
“We don’t have parking in the CBD and our current lease is coming to an end. We’ve dealt with crime in that office, not just there, but also in Mthatha.
“This move creates greater safety for our clients and it also addresses the issue of ablution space. We have limited space in the current office.
“I just don’t understand where this criticism is coming from because people are already shopping in these malls.
“We first looked at Vincent Mall and decided on Hemingways where even people from Mdantsane have direct access via taxis.
“This is part of our modernisation and improvement, not just for our clients, for our staff as well.”
The paid-parking ticketing system at Hemingways Mall was a concern for some residents.
But home affairs acting provincial manager Thembinkosi Mnunu said the department did not provide parking for clients at the current address, “so it will not be different at the new premises”.
Mnunu also said the department had engaged with taxi associations to open direct routes to Hemingways.
“Clients will now be able to do their other shopping at the mall.”
Mavuso said they were making a similar move in Gqeberha, but had experienced challenges in Mthatha and Dikeni.
They planned to expand home affairs’ services at banks to more than a thousand branches around the country.
“We are trying in Alice [Dikeni], there’s one mall there, and we had looked at the malls in Mthatha but we had some challenges there. It is the same in Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal.
“We have identified a mall in Gqeberha as well. Sometimes these changes can be an issue to some of the landlords because losing a client is not easy.
“But we had to prioritise our clients. In Cape Town, the system is running smoothly.”
The department came under fire when it emerged that similar plans to move a branch into a mall in Rustenburg, North West, came at a costly price.
An EFF parliamentary delegation did an oversight at the mall after it emerged the department would pay R5.2m annually in rent for space there.
EFF member in the home affairs select committee, Thapelo Mogale, said they wanted the department to provide the hidden costs in all the relocation plans.
“It is totally unacceptable ... it would have been sensible if they were opening another office.
“The cost implications are unacceptable for our people, especially the issue of paid parking.
“We’ve been saying that home affairs must do away with issues of renting office space.
“They must work with public works to find underused state-owned buildings.
“Look at local post office businesses. They are spending a lot of money on renting.
“We are following it up to get more clarity and details from the minister to understand this particular move.”
But without giving details, Mavuso said the cost of the moves was far less than the EFF claimed.
“I can tell you that in East London we will be paying far less than we’re paying now.
“With some malls we don’t even pay a cent because we’ve developed good relations and it’s beneficial for shopper circulation. We will be saving a lot of money.”
On Wednesday, the Daily Dispatch’s sister publication, The Herald, reported on plans by the department to relocate Gqeberha’s main home affairs office from North End to Baywest Mall.
Both malls are owned by Hangar 18.
Hemingways Mall did not respond to questions by the time of publication.
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.