NATIONAL NEWS - Home Affairs Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza will today visit the Germiston Home Affairs office which was engulfed by fire on Tuesday.

Preliminary reports suggest that the office caught fire when protesters threw a petrol bomb into the office’s first floor, leading to a disruption of operations. 

Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber, said in a post on social media platform X that a case had been opened and that Home Affairs was working with SAPS to provide all evidence and ensure swift arrests and convictions. 

The department has deployed mobile offices to continue rendering services to clients. 

Arrangements have been made as follows:

• Smart ID Card and passport applications will be received at the Germiston Civic Service Centre car park.
• Reprints of certificates will be done at any Home Affairs office in Gauteng.
• Late Registration of Birth services will be handled at the Alberton and Boksburg offices.

For other services, including marriages, clients are advised to visit other Home Affairs offices where they will receive assistance.

The Deputy Minister Nzuza will also visit the mobile offices to assess service delivery levels. 

Government on Tuesday strongly condemned the torching of the office.

Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Acting Director-General, Terry Vandayar, said vandalism undermined the hard-won rights and freedoms of South Africans and unfairly burdened taxpayers with the cost of repairs. 

ALSO READ: Germiston Home Affairs building on fire amid protests

“Such acts of vandalism undermine the very rights and freedoms that South Africans have fought hard to secure and place an unnecessary burden on taxpayers who will ultimately bear the cost of repairs. 

“While the Constitution guarantees the right to protest, it must be exercised in a peaceful and lawful manner that respects the rights of others and safeguards public property. 

"Violence and destruction are not acceptable means of expressing grievances, and will not be tolerated," the Acting Director-General said. 

William Ntladi, spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Service, said the two-storey building had been severely damaged and there were no injuries reported. – SAnews.gov.za

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