MATATIELE – The manager of the Department of Home Affairs office in Matatiele, Mr Bekwa, says the office’s biggest challenge is a severe shortage of staff, which continues to affect service delivery and frustrate residents.
Bekwa was speaking to The Informer after several members of the public complained about poor service at the office on Wednesday. Many residents said they travel long distances from remote villages, only to return home without receiving assistance.
One of the complainants, a woman from Queen’s Mercy, said she had visited the Home Affairs office four times in an attempt to obtain a birth certificate.
“I keep coming back, but officials only assist a limited number of people each day. The rest of us are told to return another day, even though we have been waiting at the office,” she said.
Bekwa acknowledged the frustrations experienced by residents and said the office is unable to meet the growing demand for services because it is critically understaffed.
He explained that the Matatiele office currently has only eight staff members, with two of them deployed to provide mobile services in surrounding villages. This leaves just six officials available to assist clients at the office.
“Our office needs at least 16 staff members to effectively serve the approximately 100 people who visit this office every day,” Bekwa said.
He added that the staff shortage has persisted for years and remains the main reason for the long queues and delays.
“There is nothing that can solve the problems at the Matatiele Home Affairs office other than having a full complement of staff. At the moment, the situation is beyond our control,” Bekwa said.
Residents have appealed to the Department of Home Affairs to urgently increase staffing levels at the Matatiele office to improve service delivery and reduce the hardship faced by people who travel long distances to access essential government services.
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