Home Affairs staff on a go slow service delivery suffers
The Daily Voice | 07 March 2023
There was chaos outside the Home Affairs office in Cape Town CBD yesterday as workers went on strike over a wage dispute.
Hundreds of mense coming for applications and collections were left stranded, including a couple who came to get married.
Members of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) shut down Home Affairs in Barrack Street after their demand for a 10% salary increase was denied.
Western Cape Nehawu secretary Baxolise Mali told the Daily Voice they’ve been at loggerheads with the government since last year after the state offered a measly 3% increase.
He said a nationwide strike by public servants was imminent.
“That issue was not resolved, last year in December we were preparing the ground for this action [strike] so we have issued a notice to the employer to say that on the 6 of March we will start with the strike action,” Mali said.
“Home Affairs is going to be affected, various workplaces in the entire country will be affected even hospitals will be unable to serve the patients.”
The doors of Home Affairs were closed and a Nehawu member stood in front of it to make sure that no one entered the building.
An upset Rowena von Ruben from Delft said she had been queuing outside Home Affairs since 3am.
“Last week I came to Home Affairs and they told me to come this week knowing that they are gonna protest.
“They’re inconveniencing us and they know we got All Pay [Sassa grants] today.”
Simon Visser said he came to get a death certificate so they can start making funeral arrangements.
“If we had known then we wouldn’t have wasted unnecessary money. No one came out to say anything, they just said they were not opening.”
A bridal couple arrived to get married but the excitement of the bride, wearing a short white dress and veil with pink stilettos, was short-lived.
The couple had all the necessary documents in hand but were denied entry, much to the dismay of the crowd, who cheered them up.
A delivery truck that came to deliver chairs at Home Affairs was blocked by upset mense, saying if they can’t enter, then no one else is going to enter.
The provincial Department of Home Affairs did not reply to queries.
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