The Public Servants Association (PSA) has welcomed the new Department of Home Affairs (DHA) office in Mokopane, in Limpopo, but has expressed concern that the opening is not supported by the employment of more staff.

Mokopane will now be serviced by 100 mobile DHA offices, as part of the department’s Hybrid Access Model, which aims to expand services to areas where its footprint is limited.

The new offices will facilitate quicker processing of identity documents, passports, and birth and death certificates.

The PSA said the initiative was “highly commendable” and pointed out that the excessive travel burden on citizens would be lowered.

“The PSA is, however, concerned that the opening of the new office and mobile offices is not supported by the employment of additional employees. The Department will use its already constrained human resources whilst it is public knowledge that it suffers from chronic staff shortages resulting in long queues and extensive waiting times for members of the public. This situation is exacerbated by endless challenges pertaining to the unstable IT system, which hampers service delivery,” it said.

It wants the Home Affairs Minister to ensure that new offices see the employment of more staff to enhance the envisioned service delivery.