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Black Market
08/10/2008 11:38
Home Affairs was probably too busy making sure the details on all the fake papers they sell are right to give proper attention to a plain old citizen. After all, there is no extra income involved in just doing your work! They are rotten to the core. - JC |
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Thumbs up to Home Affairs
08/10/2008 11:39
I made application for and received my unabridged marriage certificate on the same day, cost R11-00. Applied for and received temp passport in 2weeks. Permanent passport received 6 weeks later and notified via sms to collect. My wife made application for and received her new ID in 6 weeks. Also notified by sms. What good service - keep it up home affairs.... - VAD |
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My story
08/10/2008 11:39
Took my little sister to pick up her ID the other day. She recently turned 16, so it was a first time application. The officer who was "helping" us insisted that she can not collect her ID book without showing her ID as proof. Everyone in the qeue behind us burst out in laughter. At which said officer threw her toys out her pram at our rudeness. Hmmmmm.... - HT |
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The joys........
08/10/2008 11:41
of our gvmt departments. They will NEVER improve. Good leadership / management starts at the top - whooooohoooo, look at the idiots sitting in the cabinet. - Wynand |
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ID Docs
08/10/2008 11:41
I received an email a few months ago, and its not with me at present so dont have the exact details - but a lady had gotten married and applied for a new ID. Her new surname had an apostrophe over the last 'e'...so above her name she put in brackets (met n koppie op die e) and now on her ID her middle name is 'metakoppieopdiee'!!! there was a copy of the ID with the email...it was funny but sad at the same time! - KS |
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If you want your ID or passport, some advice...
08/10/2008 11:44
An officer of home affairs was caught with blank ID and passport books at the State Press in Pretoria. So maybe thats a good place to hang out at? - HT |
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Spontaneous combustion
08/10/2008 11:44
I always imagine a Home Affairs official's desk as a mass of paper dating back at least a decade, of which the bottom layers are gradually turning into peat.
One day, that building is going to spontaneously combust - like a compost-heap. - Oom_Kosie |
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Home affairs
08/10/2008 11:45
Give it to me. I will paas it on two my caasin on the desk next two me. He warks very hard and he do not make mastakes. He got standard 4. She is a managa! Sigh. - Mark V |
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Agree, all (bar one) government services has gone to the dogs.
08/10/2008 11:48
SARS has however improved their service to such an extent that it is almost a pleasure to file tax returns these days. Shows you where the governments priorities lie. The only thing that hasn't declined is the public paying the government, where the government serves the public, the service is pathetic. - Karen |
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inefficient mess
08/10/2008 11:50
Our unabridged marriage certificate says my wife was born in 1879, my unabridged birth certificate is missing an ID number, and one of my parents names is misspelled.
It took 3 applications to get our unabridged marriage certificate.
The application forms for unabridged certificates contain all the info that the certificate itself will contain. Are they just (mis)typing the info and then printing it?
My wife got her parents visas done only by screaming out loud at Home Affairs. - anon |
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My experience has been different
08/10/2008 11:51
In recent years I have needed to replace an ID document, then took out citizenship (and thus had to get another ID book) and then applied for a passport. No problems at all. It was not instant, but neither did it drag on and on. And if I was told "come back in 30 days" then the relevant documents were always ready when I turned up at the appointed day. In my experience Home Affairs do a good job. - Big Bad Bob |
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Is Home Affairs up to the task?
08/10/2008 11:52
I also had an experience with home affairs when my daughter turn 16 & we applied for an ID document, when we went to fetch it we found that my daughter had turned into a coloured, however they insisted they were correct & all this while my daughter was standing in front of them. Go Figure - Merlin |
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Home affairs a big joke
08/10/2008 11:56
The lights have long been turned off at Home Affairs. To get your new Id/passport/visa go to Hillbrow..you will get them all in 30minutes..for a small fee of course!! - IandI |
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Marraige Register from Minister
08/10/2008 11:56
We had to trace the Minister who married us and obtain his copy of the Marraige Register because Home Affairs had no records of the marraige (despite having issued us an unabridged certificate a year ago.) What would have happened if the Minister had moved or passed away?
We are still waiting but expect the worst.... - Lourens Botha |
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Mark V
08/10/2008 12:01
oh please Mark V is it you that has got standard 4 or your the so called cousin....no mark your spelling check pls - respect |
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Government run office are the pits
08/10/2008 12:08
ANY office that is run by the Government needs a kick up the jack. The staff are uninterested, unhelpful and uneducated. The offices also always look filthy. I don't know what they are going to do when applying for the new ID cards come in effect. God help us!!! - ALS |
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@Mark V and Respect
08/10/2008 12:09
I suspect Mark's comment was mocking illiterate at Home Affairs. I'm Afrikaans and you can hear it in my accent. So I don't quite get why we mock Zulu/Xhosa etc accents and not Afrikaans accents. That is not fair. Home Affairs mess may be due to lack of education of the officers. But can't they get in-house training. - HT |
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Government departments
08/10/2008 12:10
What I have found, while travelling and speaking to friends, government departments throughout the world suck. Their service is always attrocious and they honestly look like they do not want to be there. I think this boils down to them not having competitors. If you look at service in the pvt sectors, it is much better because they compete mostly on service. I won't say it is the best but it is a lot better. - Ryan |
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@Anton
08/10/2008 12:10
Thanks for the warning, i'm about to go through the exact same exercise. From your experience, can you offer advice that may make my task an easier one. ;-) - John Camp |
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Excellent Service
08/10/2008 12:10
Maybe we in the Cape / Boland are just lucky but for the past couple of years me and some of my family had to get new passports and or id's. Always getting excellent service, very helpful people and id's and passports within 6 weeks. - KJ |
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Home Affairs hmmm
08/10/2008 12:11
While in hospital recovering from an argument with a 5ton truck, my home was burgled and the safe liberated from the wall, necessitating the replacement of all my wife's and my documents, including our passports, SA and EU. Foreign passports replaced in 3 weeks, SA passport 6 weeks, IDs 6months. So as long as one has time on their hands it does finally get done. Krugersdorp office by far the more efficiant. - Sven Gohre |
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For the sake of being fair...
08/10/2008 12:12
The incident I mentioned earlier happened at the Centurion Home Affairs. I also applied for a temp and permanent passport there, which I got without hiccups. Shows how an individual's bad service delivery can tarnish the image of the system. So educate and train them better. - HT |
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Govt workers
08/10/2008 12:13
Did you know that these guys will try and get the max payment for the least amount of work. The goal being report for work and do zero work for max payment. You gotta love this country. - Tebogo |
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Typical Goverment dept
08/10/2008 12:16
its the same wherever you go, there is no more such thing as eg a person becoming a nurse because they are passionate about nursing or following a career in public service because they love dealing with people. 90% of all public servants are in it for a salary at the end of the month and nothing more. They are lazy and uninterested and clearly have not the ability to motivate themselves or to improve their skills. Its the " I dont care" attitude and its the reason SA is in the state it is in. - trailertrash |
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shame
08/10/2008 12:17
Needed those same docs recently but went through service providers. they charged about 1400 in total but i recieved my documents in perfect order both within 15 working days. Everyone knows the state of affairs at that department and if you really need your documents then pay a little extra and have nothing to complain about. it may not be entirely ethical but its worth the sleepfilled nights - T |
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Government departments
08/10/2008 12:17
In my experience and in conversations with friends in other countries, Government departments around the world suck. This, in my opinion is due to these departments not having competitors. There should be an incentive scheme that allows government departments to compete with each other on efficiency and service and attach bonus payouts and salary increases to this. This will ensure that they pull up their socks. Like most, they need an incentive to perform. - Ryan G |
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home affairs
08/10/2008 12:17
Anton, you should have gone to the South African consular services in Hong Kong.
You cant expect anything from a government employee, especially those that have been given a desk and a table, when the government itself has become its own worse enemy - Zeenat Khan |
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Service Delivery
08/10/2008 12:18
My experience has also been good - my son's ID document actually got hand delivered to our home - a wonderful shock!!! Agree with Karen about SARS. Their turnaround is short of phenomenal and they should be congratulated. Perhaps Govt service Departments should use SARS agency/consultants to do the same for them - wouldn't that be great!! - CC |
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Moan Affairs
08/10/2008 12:19
We applied for unabriged birth certificates for our 2 boys about 3 months ago... I cannot apply for British Passports for my boys without them... Last time we went back to Home Affairs, we were told that it takes at least 4 months to process this??? How is that possible? You walk into the British High Commision in PTA, it's clean organised and efficient. To be fair, they don't have the volumes to contend with but still. All I can say about Home Affairs is: - Banana Republic - The Anti Bunny |
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Home affairs
08/10/2008 12:19
I am to scared to go and apply for my new ID.. not sure what I will be "turned" into on paper.. but then again with HA in sush a state I might end up getting a surname that could open doors for BEE maybe the new SA and Home Affairs messing up does provide some hope we should go with the gravy train its Ac-tua-lay-di-lis-ouss!! - O gonna |
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@ HT....ok
08/10/2008 12:20
I can like two be wearing a jean pant wif a belt! ;) joking buddy...anyway - i think that the government are more interested in the 'service delivery' (more like service receiption) of SARS...thats their cash cow - so obviously they want as much money as possible to be brought in! When other services are at the level of SARS, then it can be called service delivery! - Kenroid |
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Centurion
08/10/2008 12:21
Last year I got the opportunity to study abroad. I had to renew my passport. Told them the story, that it is urgent, otherwise I miss out. Lady wrote "URGENT" on top of my form. I phoned a few times, every time telling them how urgent it is. I was told it'll take 6 weeks at the most. 4 months later I got my passport - a month after I had to be in the US. I have to apply for an unabridged birth certificate. And now I'm even more worried! - Chantelle |
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Good service from Home affairs
08/10/2008 12:22
Go to the Akasia Home affairs office (Pretoria) - their service is excellent. - Karien |
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You shoud try...
08/10/2008 12:22
Getting a birth certificate for an adopted child. Taken over a year, 3 sets of forms submitted, some lost between local office and head office. Cannot get anyone who knows anything or can help. Just keep on banging head on wall. Got the forms from web site, local office tells us the wrong form. They are clueless. In the meantime we cannot go on holiday or visit overseas as we cannot get a passport for our son. He has grandparents who have never seen him in the flesh and who would love to. - Alan |
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Branch Service
08/10/2008 12:24
As it happens we were at home affairs in George on Monday collecting an ID and applying for a new passport. They were extremely helpful but seemed to complain that they were not getting the support required from "head office" wherever that is. Spoke of people signing onto the system at 9:00 in the morning, disappearing all day and signing off at 16:30 - nice job. - Ants |
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@Anton, You are lucky one. I waited last 3 years.
08/10/2008 12:26
In prep of emmigrating to NZ, I also had to get a number of documents from them. 3 times they got the details wrong. It was verified as correct by NZ org before handing it to them. Their attitude is of doing you a massive big favour. However, when confronting them, you are wrong / difficult & get that blank glare on their face. It tells me they have no clue how to do their job. Pathetic & will never change as long as they employ uneducated lazy inefficient unprofessional (& also AA) staff. - Matrix |
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@HT
08/10/2008 12:27
Don't worry HT... I'm English and we all do our fair share of mocking the Afrikaans Accent... so don't feel so left out!!! - The Anti Bunny |
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Service in such departments is generally shocking
08/10/2008 12:27
But then, I wouldn't want to work there! There doesn't seem to be any incentive to do a good job, and most people walk into the offices prepared to make a scene so in general it's just a miserable environment. I have personally always found that smiling more and being patient encourages better service - spare a thought too for the staff who have to deal with irritable customers all day; a lot of them, I'm sure, are trying their best within a generally disorganised system. - dh |
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eNatis and failed automation
08/10/2008 12:34
Now, when the process is automated... In eNatis' earlier days its administrative password was... wait for it... Administrator. That is one of the first passwords a hacker checks, VERY commonly known fact in the IT businesss. The IP address for eNatis was also in such clear view for any one with simple script and ill intentions that the whole system was hacked silly. You could get all info, and issue yourself a license! Wasn't even a challenge! - HT |
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HORROR AFFAIRS
08/10/2008 12:35
Read the Daily Sun, the Horror Affairs articles that is printed daily! - SNB |
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@ Mark...
08/10/2008 12:40
... SPOT ON! - Neil |
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Government should be enablers - they do not know how to 'do'
08/10/2008 12:43
All service delivery should be outsourced to multiple private entities. Govt should merely control the backbone IT systems, and complete the performance and quality audits. You can be guaranteed that private enterprise will do the job quicker, with a smile on their faces. Not to mention making a profit too. Imagine having your documents delivered to you when they are ready, or having the phone answered by a competent individual in less than 3 rings?!
- DuckOne |
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Replacement ID doc: Nearly 2 years and waiting
08/10/2008 12:46
Was hijacked in 2006 and the car had my ID doc. Applied for new ID the next day and was told I'd have it in 1 month. 2 months later I was told 1 months time. Then I was told to reapply. Now they say it's in printing. It's been in printing since April last year. - nm |
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@Kenroid
08/10/2008 12:47
Thats ok dude, I are laughing with you, broer. ;-) Havent tried the SARS efiling yet, but heard some complaints about that from some who did. I know an accountant who works at SARS- they are rewarded for finding tax-evaders! Maybe staff at home affairs should be rewarded for delivering docs in time. - HT |
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Take a Picnic
08/10/2008 12:50
The process at Home Affairs - stand in an hour long queue to get the correct application, then be told there are no pens, after sourcing a pen, stand in another hour long queue. Finally get to the front - and get served inbetween the clerks snack breaks, her social phone conversations(judging by the tone and body language) and chats with co-workers. Oh and dont forget the snails pace and sullen face. - BL |
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@ Anti Bunny
08/10/2008 12:51
We took our English friend to see "Ons vir jou" play in State Theatre last weekend.. Damn did we have fun with the Soutie ;-) Mocking is OK, attaching a stereotype to it which you KNOW will scratch open old wounds is not so funny. - HT |
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They are getting there, slowly.
08/10/2008 12:53
Purse & ID were stolen in Nov 2004. Took until October 2006 to finally replace my ID. Applications apparantly got lost 3 times. The 4th time I chucked all my toys out the cot in their offices & promptly received VIP service. They promised to hand deliver the application to H/O in Pretoria and waited for it to be processed. I received 2 days later. - TB |
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I've only had good experiences
08/10/2008 12:59
Was married 3 years ago, got the marriage certificate in 2 weeks, my wifes new ID book and her new passport as well as mine in 6 weeks. We found a small micro office where people still seem to work. Best kept secret. - Gary |
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Email says it all
08/10/2008 13:01
I received an email with a picture attached of a home affairs office somewhere in Gauteng. It shows an employee with her bare feet on the table while doing her nails. She wasn't even dressed properly and looked like a cleaner. How can you expect good service if you don't even look the part??? - Amber |
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Home Affairs and Traffic Dept
08/10/2008 13:05
My mom's new passport came back with someone else's photo in it, took another two months to sort out! My driver's lisense was declined because my right thumb print didn't match my last one...applied on 18 July and was told it would be ready by November! - Drivers |
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Home Affairs
08/10/2008 13:13
I've always heard of people complaining about the services @ Home affairs but i've never had a bad experience with them. I got both my ID book & passport on time. May be it depends on where you are! - Proudly black |
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@anti bunny
08/10/2008 13:14
by the way, you need a vault copy of the birth cert and not an unabridged copy to apply for UK passport, and that takes 6 months even though you make continuous calls (5 different numbers)to check on progress. And all that for a photo copy with a stamp on it - confused |
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Passport
08/10/2008 13:18
When I applied for my first passport, in 1987, it took 3 working days. When I applied for my new green passport about 10 years later, it took 3 months. Doubt it very much that they were "working" months. The funny thing is, the issue date of my passport is 3 weeks after I applied, where was it for the other 9 weeks?. - Bob |
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Respect and HT
08/10/2008 13:19
I was indeed mocking illiterate officials in positions they are not qualified to be in. Had they been Chinese, I would've written with a mock of the "Chinese" Engrish! (English out of respect - Excuse the pun). - Mark V |
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Why did you wait that long ?
08/10/2008 13:21
You can buy anything from a arms deal to a SA passport , just go hang around any ANC building and you wil be approached !! - charlie |
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Home Affairs - Mess up ppls life
08/10/2008 13:22
Terrible, terrible, terrible... The service is pathetic. - Tazzy |
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Is Home Affairs up to $#it?
08/10/2008 13:24
Thought I'd just correct your heading there Anton... and the answer is a resounding YES! - CalliedJ |
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Sigh
08/10/2008 13:25
My sister only recently received her ID book. After a 2 year wait that is. She got it just in time for her matric exams. My wife and I have been waiting for our marriage certificate for almost a year now. Homw affairs has lost our application twice, and now need extra information which wasnt previously stated. Keep up the good work. - Deano |
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Hey HT...
08/10/2008 13:25
Don't have a sense of humour failure... was just pulling your leg... some of my best friends are Afrikaans... BTW what old wounds are you referring to?... surely not a war which was over nearly 100 years ago now??? Or were you referring to the Proteas dismal defeat in the ODI's in England? :) Don't take that too hard... you won the test series at least!
- The Anti Bunny |
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Home Affairs - welcome to South Africa
08/10/2008 13:34
I used a queing company to do my passport thinking it would be less hassels and would have my passport back in 2 months.... well I am still waiting for my passport and the queing company used just keeps sending me sms saying they are looking into it everytime I contact them~! A couple of years ago whilst in Africa my passport expired and got it back through embassy in 6 weeks? - tm |
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@Ryan
08/10/2008 13:34
Hey Ryan, I have recently moved to Holland and even though their procedures are very buearocratic(I know, spelling is terrible!!), they are very efficient, the service is excellent and very fast - no long lines to wait in!! And I have dealt with a number of different departments here to sort out all my visas.
Home Affairs was also a nightmare for me to deal with when I applied for my marriage and birth certificates. - Time |
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Same problems
08/10/2008 13:39
Also waited about 7 months for 2 birth certificates and marriage certificate. Had to find the minister for registry because they didn't have any proof. They also lost my husband's application for unabridged birth certificate. Then after 5 months they gave us vault copy. So had to reapply and pay again - eventually have all 3 unabridged applications!! But think I must go and double check the details just in case ... - Elzahn |
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Home Affairs System Revamp
08/10/2008 13:44
I applied for my unabridged marriage certificate and was told to collect after 6 weeks. I called after 6 weeks and was told that it had not been processed as they needed a copy of the marriage register from the Belville office and I applied at the Cape Town office. After waiting two weeks I had to phone the Belville office and arrange for them to fax the copy to me so I could take it to the Cape Town office. If Home Affairs has no joy with their own department, how do we expect to win with them - Sasha |
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Home affairs Akasia
08/10/2008 13:45
Just a comment about home affairs akasia, the service might not be too bad (got my new ID in 6 weeks) but they do have some pretty big big rats (not the ones behind the counter). Seriously, they are like small dogs! - Werner Nortje |
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Licencing Office as well
08/10/2008 13:48
The Licence Dept. don't fare much better either.
My driver's licence expired on 2 Oct. '08. I applied for a new one in the beginning of August. They said it would be ready after 6 weeks. Went to them last week, still not ready! Now they say I should wait untill the end of October! So I have waited 2 months & must wait another month for my new licence to be "maybe" ready? Why don't these ppl live up to the motto of "Batho Pele" (People first) ? - Werner |
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Anti Bunny
08/10/2008 13:51
NOOOO ! I is laughing WITH you ;-)!! It's all lekker bru. I can't think that there is actually bad blood between Afr and Eng?! Especially after Rugby World Cup ;). My comment was originally made to mocking of black accents and that some think an accent different from their own means the person is stupid. But then I guess it depends if the person being mocked interpret it as that? - HT |
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Not Suprised at all
08/10/2008 13:52
Try getting a fire arm license , well anything from a govermunt office , good luck , only place that is doing there job is SARS , why because if they dont do there job there is no money to steal for the ANC officials - tiekies |
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Ditto
08/10/2008 13:55
I can fully sympathise with you, my venture started in May sometime and continued until last week when I picked up my daughters passport. I went through the unabridged marriage and birth certs story, a computer crash, a LOST passport after they told me that their passports dont get lost in the post. Am I so glad that when I fly out of Joburg in 4 weeks time,I will never be using the SA passport ever again but the French one that I ONLY waited 3 weeks to get. - Marina |
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Government employees
08/10/2008 14:02
I work for the government and realy feel the pain when my own people do this to the needy people. Maybe they don't know the importance of working with ID's and passports. Again is not the government that fails,..... but the individuals. Why can others get it right.You guys provided a gud laugh with some experiences - Geog |
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Africa has no Pride
08/10/2008 14:06
It's all about pride. Being proud of your work because you are greatfull to be afforded the opportunity to earn living. Any kind of living. Have so-called 'previously advantaged' family of age 45-up who would scrub the floor with a smile, if it meant some sort of income and a sense of being needed. No such luck though as they are WAM's. You know, White Afrikaner Males... This country is pathetic. - SOS |
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DHA
08/10/2008 14:07
I must admit it's true! But dha processes hundreds of applications a day, mistakes will happen. Believe it or not there are quite a few public servants who ARE working their butts off and it is very sad to see all the negativity (even if it is deserved). Thanks to the ?new? DG, who doesn?t tolerate bad performers, things are changing at dha, slowly but surely.
- employee |
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Home Affairs
08/10/2008 14:22
All Home Affairs are the same, officials do not have passion in what they are doing. The government must start doing something about the officials who are not willing to work. The principle of "Batho Pele" does not have any meaning to them. - Amukelani |
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