20 Mar Open letter to Malusi Gigabi hits home with locals and foreigners alike

Mahlatse Mahlase recently published an insightful look into the trials of locals trying to obtain ID books and passports from a local home affairs office. This article was published shortly after a video went viral of an immigration official checking her messages whilst processing a family at immigration. Watch the viral video above.

For a period of time, it appeared as though Malusi Gigaba had turned around civil services and obtaining passports and ID books, but it has been short lived.

The apathy of home affairs officials is a systemic problem that affects both locals and foreigners alike – with exorbitant and unpredictable timelines for the processing of any sort of application.

However, as Mahlatse Mahlase points out, with a Minister who is more interested in Candy Crush than parliamentary debates, it comes as no surprise that Home Affairs continues to fall behind with basic services.

The Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) allows an individual who has suffered unreasonable delay to take the department of home affairs to court on that basis and obtain a court order compelling them to make a decision. This is applicable to both civil services and immigration services alike.

If you have suffered from unreasonable delay in processing an application with the Department, whether its an unabridged birth certificate or permanent residency, you do have recourse and you do not have to wait indefinitely. Send us an email to learn more about your rights!