The long-awaited relocation of the home affairs offices from Fleet Street to Hemingways Mall failed to happen on Monday.
This left scores of people confused and frustrated after reaching the mall only to find services were not yet operational.
Many had first travelled to the old building, where posters redirected them to the mall, but there the mobile units meant to assist people were not functioning due to a broken generator.
For residents who rely on public transport, the extra taxis and long waits came at an unplanned cost.
Riaan Welgemoed, 53, who went to the old home affairs building early in the morning, said the relocation might seem a positive step but it created real difficulties for ordinary people.
“I have a car and it’s an easy drive for me, but for most of these people sitting here [under a gazebo in the parking area], to get a taxi from their house to town and then to Hemingways, I don’t know how that works.
“What’s the price of going to Hemingways in a taxi? Another R50 they don’t have?”
At the mall, Jethro Schwartz, from Beacon Bay, waited for hours as the mobile unit failed to operate.
“We were redirected to Hemingways when we got to town to collect a passport, but the generator on the mobile truck was broken.
“We’ve had no indication of what time the replacement generator will be here. Everybody’s a bit frustrated.”
Though inconvenienced on Monday, Schwartz said the department’s move might make things safer for everybody.
“At least you know there’s parking here. So I think it’s a good move from a safety perspective.”
Mzikhulu Mlomo, from Mdantsane, also arrived at the old building only to learn the offices had moved.
This was not a problem for drivers like himself, he said, but it disadvantaged many others.
“If you’re driving or walking here, it’s easy and simple, but to go to Hemingways will be difficult for those who do not have transport.
“People without a car will have to pay double on the taxi.”
He criticised the logic behind relocating to a mall instead of expanding services elsewhere.
However, some residents argued the relocation was financially and operationally justified.
“Generally, spaces in malls are cheaper to rent for government entities than the exorbitant amounts they pay at office parks,” one resident said.
An SMS would have meant we didn’t flock to an abandoned building
— Mdantsane resident
With home affairs now using an appointment system, long queues should be manageable.
“People frequent malls, and Hemingways Mall is accessible by taxis.
“Also, home affairs provides services on wheels, so they are fairly decentralised.
“I understand the concerns, but I think this was a financial decision more than anything.”
But for many people the challenge on Monday was the lack of communication.
A Mdantsane woman who had booked an appointment to collect her ID, said she found out about the relocation only when she reached Fleet Street.
“There was no communication at all — this was new to me. I had to take another taxi to the mall, which cost me money.
“An SMS would have meant we didn’t flock to an abandoned building.”
Residents were receiving services from a truck stationed in the mall’s parking lot, with a second truck outside the old offices.
Daily Dispatch
