GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - DA Member of Parliament and Constituency Leader for the Dr Beyers Naude, Samantha Graham-Maré, has submitted a petition signed by 500 residents to the Speaker of Parliament to raise issues relating to the poor service of the Department of Home Affairs in the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality.
The Department of Home Affairs provides a critical service to all South Africans and poor service delivery in this department leads to massive problems in all spheres of life.
Without birth certificates, parents cannot register their children for school or child-care grants. Without identity documents, learners cannot get their matric results or apply for work. Couples cannot get married, register their children's births, vote or open a bank account.
"Unfortunately, these limitations are the lived experiences of the residents of Dr Beyers Naude Municipality where Home Affairs services are limited at best, and non-existent at worst," says Graham-Maré.
She explains that the department is required to visit the outlying towns that it services and ensure that it, at the very least, provides for the application of identity documents and birth certificates. Unfortunately, this is not happening.
"When the Department of Home Affairs does visit the towns, they arrive late, have data and connection problems, and fall short of the minimum service level expected.
Even the service at their office in Graaff-Reinet is appallingly unreliable, with many people traveling from far afield only to find that the system is down – again! It costs R500 to travel to Graaff-Reinet and back for people in Willowmore.
For the vast majority this is prohibitive, and they are then forced to depend on the irregular and unreliable service from the Department of Home Affairs to process their documents."
In terms of the petition the department is requested to provide a service plan to the community and this plan must be adhered to to ensure that each town is regularly serviced. In addition, first time identity document recipients, especially learners at high schools, must receive the necessary support.
Graham-Maré will also be addressing the minister of home affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs to present the petition.
She emphasises that the Democratic Alliance will continue to put pressure on the government to deliver reliable and decent services to the residents of Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality. "Because our people deserve nothing less."
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