The extension was approved by the Minister of the Department, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. The temporary operating times will be from 08:00 to 17:30, which is two hours extra compared to the normal operating times. 

In a media statement from the department, the extension was granted to deal with the high demand for smart ID cards and passport services at Home Affairs offices.

The extension was with effect from Tuesday (27/6). “The department usually receives a higher volume of applications during school holidays. To meet the demand during this period, we have extended operating hours,” says Motsoaledi in a statement. It is not known when the extension will end.

ALSO READ: Home Affairs asks Bfn to queue a little longer

Home Affairs services have in the previous years been an issue in Bloemfontein. 

Bloemfontein Courant reported many residents have said that the service at the Home Affairs office in Rocklands is unacceptable and appalling. While some have praised the department for the speedy delivery of passports, Smart ID cards, and other documents, residents have stated that applying for these documents is the most daunting part of the process, owing to several issues. Among the grievances residents mentioned is the fact that the office sometimes opens late owing to management meetings and the slow service. 

[Statement] The Department of Home Affairs temporarily extends operating times by two hours to meet the growing demands for services at office https://t.co/c5kmPSQIZR

— HomeAffairsSA ???? (@HomeAffairsSA) June 27, 2023

The system being offline and some residents being sent back home as there are often too many people to help, are among some of the most concerns raised.

Long queues remain, however, the worst of the complaints, with many saying that they arrive at the offices as early as 06:00, while the office opens at 07:30, only to wait for hours in the queue and eventually receive help around 11:00. These complaints have led to numerous calls for a second office, perhaps this time in Bloemfontein’s City Centre.

ALSO READ – Home Affairs: Free State town's residents frustrated

Recently, residents of Boshof in the Free State remained without identity documents as a result of not having local Home Affairs offices. This was according to the Provincial Chairperson of ActionSA, Patricia Kopane. She explained that residents from Boshof, with a population of about 8 509, must travel to Kimberley if they want to apply for identity documents. 

This costs them at least R100 for a return trip, which is unaffordable as many of them do not receive social grants because they do not have identity documents.

She added that a mobile service truck from Welkom serves the area once a quarter, and only for a day. Kopane said the party has written to Motsoaledi, requesting him to dispatch mobile service trucks to this farming town. 

“It is important for Home Affairs to ensure that Boshof residents are assisted with a regular mobile truck that will serve them. We have given the minister 14 days to respond to our correspondence. We will not let this matter rest. We will follow it up until this request is granted. Without an identity document, you are no one in your own country. This is a gross violation of human rights,” she said.

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