South Africa has extended operating hours to from 8am to 7pm at its Home Affairs offices to expedite the processing of documents for those intending to travel or registrar children ahead of school opening.
Some of the people expected to use the Home Affairs offices are citizens from other countries among them Zimbabweans seeking to regularize their stay south of the Limpopo River.
In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Home Affairs said it had extended operating hours between 2 January and 10 January to meet the anticipated increase in demand of services during the period before the schools reopen.
“The extension of operating hours excludes the weekend when the offices will be closed. At the beginning of each year, the Department of Home Affairs experiences increases in demand for enabling documents such as issuance of smart identity cards and passports; birth and death certificates and for amendments and rectifications,” said the Department of Home Affairs.
The department said people should also take advantage in extension of operating times and collect their outstanding documents among them National IDs.
