Home Affairs 
not so homely!

Rustenburg – A well-known citizen was robbed at gunpoint at the Home Affairs offices in Rustenburg on Tuesday 12 March during a ‘go slow’ by employees to raise their dissatisfaction towards the poor state of the deteriorating building which houses their offices.  

Police spokesperson sergeant Ofenste Mokgadi confirmed the robbery, which brought into focus the security concerns that the striking employees were also complaining about.

The ceilings of many offices inside the building are either leaking or are in a very poor state while the elevator is not working.   

That day, the offices were closed as employees, who handed over their petition to management, sat outside the building and refused to do their work. When Platinum Weekly arrived at the Home Affairs offices, the main doors leading into the building were locked. However, the employees eventually promised to resume their duties after a two-hour meeting with management. 

Joseph Moshou told Platinum Weekly that most of the issues that led to the strike had been raised as far back as 2013.

“This building is old and needs to be renovated. A few days back during the rain, office equipment was badly damaged,” said Joseph, a National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW) representative.

“Also, there are a lot of taverns surrounding the building and this creates an unsafe environment for staff and those seeking to have their documents processed,” Moshou added.    

Irene Mantlhasi, the North West provincial manager of the Department of Home Affairs, commented that an investigation will be launched into the issues raised.