Tag Archive for: DHA

Andrew Stegmann

Home Affairs Umgeni Staff Commended

This letter was written by D Boardwin, and sent to Berea Mail.

My passport expired on 19 June and I had to renew both my partner’s and mine simultaneously.

After having read so many negative comments about Home Affairs I was pretty apprehensive about going through the process and this is where my whole perception of Home Affairs changed.We visited the Home Affairs in Umgeni Road on Tuesday, 13 August at 8.30am and by 10.30am we were out with the 100 others before us. This they achieved notwithstanding being short of one camera,which is the most time consuming part of the process. The staff were very courteous and very organised and efficient.

The only negative comment I have to make is in respect of some people who sat in the queue of seats just moaning every step of the way – of the 100 or so there were four or five at the most who just couldn’t handle sharing the queue with anyone else. I guessed that this small minority were spoilt in the past (prior 1994) and that should explain everything.

On Monday, 19 August, four working days after I applied, I received an SMS informing me that the passports were ready for collection. At 11.45am we entered the Home Affairs Collections Division and by 12pm we were back in our car.

Need I say more – I believe that South Africans must accept that things have changed and its time for them to change with the times.

Home Affairs Umgeni Offices have my vote of confidence. We need to be more supportive and positive. Churchill once said that “if you nothing good to say, then don’t say anything.”

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann

SA Home Affairs: Budget Cuts Will Not Results in Office Closures

The South African Department of Home Affairs says that compulsory budget cuts will not mean it has to close any of its offices, but will have a “negative impact on the filling of some posts”.

Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, confirmed his department was facing compulsory budget cuts in reply to a Parliamentary question from the DA’s Joseph McGluwa.

“Budget cuts will have a negative impact on the filling of some posts, but we are not envisioning closure of any Home Affairs office,” he said.

Details of the cuts are contained in a document published by National Treasury in June. The paper provides national departments and public entities with guidelines of how to prepare their budget submissions.

It refers to a compulsory budget baseline reduction scenario of:

  • 5 percent in 2020/21;
  • 6 percent in 2021/22; and
  • 7 percent in 2022/23.

Departments must show how they can make cuts with the least impact for service delivery, and must suggest “non-priority programs and projects to be scaled down or closed.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann

Cape Town Refugee Center to Reopen in January 2020

The Cape Town refugee reception office, Scalabrini Centre, is expected to reopen in January 2020.

The centre was closed for almost seven years, which affected thousands of immigrants. It was due to reopen by March 2018, but the Department of Home Affairs missed the deadline. The Department of Public Works said due to budget constraints and high costs, it would lease a building in Bellville.

It was expected to cost just over R21 million for a leasing period of over five years. The Scalabrini Centre and the Legal Resources Centre took Home Affairs to court back in 2017. The Supreme Court of Appeal then ordered the department to open the office by March 2018.

The centre’s Miranda Madikane said she was pleased about the recent development. “We are feeling very happy that accommodation has been found.”

Madikane said without documentation, foreign nationals were unable to access basic services such as healthcare, education, employment and were afraid they would get arrested. “When you’re living without a document in South Africa, it’s extremely difficult and dangerous, and places massive pressure on people,” she said.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann

Home Affairs Staffer With a Difference, Nosipho Mkhupheka, Receives Compliments

Nosipho Mkhupheka is a public servant who has set tongues wagging for all the right reasons.

The unassuming home affairs official has earned the praise of many people after news of her work ethic made its way to Facebook.

Mkhupheka, a chief administrations clerk at the department’s offices in Scottburgh, stayed behind after normal working hours to assist about 40 people who could not be helped during office hours.

She is setting the bar high for other public servants.

One of those she helped was Facebook user Marius Botha who then sang Mkhupheka’s praises on his social media page.

The post read: “I want to thank Mrs Mkhupheka for her unselfish and exceptional service beyond the call of duty.

Nosipho Mkhupheka.

“This wonderful lady works at the Department of Home Affairs, Scottburgh. Today at 16:00, all her colleagues left their workstations and went home. Mrs Mkhupheka stayed and helped 40 customers with a smile!!! You are my hero. South Africa needs more people like you. Thank you. We salute you.”

Mkhupheka was alerted to the trending post by her sister while she was in church. Her children also kept calling to let her know she was trending on Facebook.

“They kept on calling to tell me I was trending and I was asking my sister what is ‘trending’. It was the first time I even heard of the phrase ‘trending’. I was so confused,” she told Vuk’uzenzele.

Reflecting on the attention she has received since the Facebook post, Mkhupheka said February 8 was a normal day for her as she always stays behind with some members of her team to ensure that those who were already in the queue when the office closes are helped as well.

Her exploits caught the attention of home affairs minister Siyabonga Cwele who paid her a special visit at her workplace. Mkhupheka said even though she was excited and shocked by the visit, it was also humbling. “Even though I was shocked, I was very excited that people recognise my work.”

During his visit, Cwele commended Mkhupheka for her dedication.

“Ms Mkhupheka is one best example of the thousands of home affairs officials who are dedicated to serve our people with a smile. When I arrived, the office was full and she was still assisting our citizens. The people who were there at the time I arrived said they appreciated her work,” said Cwele.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].