The Department of Home Affairs has made a concerted effort to reduce the amount of time its customers spend waiting in line for service, and has announced that it will now have a limited extended operating time to help more people.
Between January 2 and 10, the Department will remain open until 7pm, excluding weekends. It has done so as it expects an increase in demand for its services during the period before schools commence for 2020.
“At the beginning of each year, the Department of Home Affairs experiences increases in demand for enabling documents such as the issuance of smart ID cards and passports; birth and death certificates and for amendments and rectifications,” the Department said in a statement.
The statement also stipulates that those clients within the office will be serviced, but office managers and supervisors may use their discretion to close the office 30 minutes before it is meant to close.
“This is to allow officials to conclude all the necessary work before 7pm. The Department encourages people intending to visit our offices to do so as early as they can on their preferred day,” it added. “We hope the period of extended operating hours will enable people who have applied for smart ID cards but were unable to collect them because of time constraints, to come and collect them.”
Picture: Home Affairs