Dear Mr Schreiber
First of all I would like to commend you for the improvements you have made thus far to Home Affairs services. Last month I went to Empegeni to apply for my smart ID card where the service & efficiency of the staff was excellent.
I was notified last week that my card is ready for collection at Tongaat which is the branch nearest to my home and I was impressed with this rapid service.
I went to Tongaart this morning to collect the card but when I got there at 09h00, the gates were closed with an already sizeable crowd mingling around the entrance. I was informed that the system is down, meaning collections will not be possible.
For me it's fine because I will drive there on another day but for many, who are not as fortunate as me, have taken leave, had to buy bus tickets there and back only to be told the system is down since Thursday the previous week! Some of the people waited most of Friday and possibly today.
I think that critical IT resources should be on call around the country (contract or in-house) to resolve these types of issues in minimal time. This system has apparently been down for 5 days and possibly more meaning many people will be affected by this.
We must realise that what is a minor inconvenience for some is a huge inconvenience for other less fortunate people.
Regards