Home Affairs queues are notoriously long with many people getting turned away at the end of the day without getting help or even stepping into the premises.
Nathi, a 24-year-old from the south of Durban, has made it his livelihood to make the people’s trip to these offices as convenient and stress-free as possible....at a price.
The young man wakes up just after midnight and carries 10 chairs to the nearest Home Affairs branch and waits for individuals he can sell the spots to.
“I don’t usually get up at the same time, so occasionally there is a short line when I arrive. I charge R100 for each spot,” he says.
He claims that the security guards know him and do not harass him, but can ask him for hush money whenever they feel like it.
On a good day, Nathi says he can get R800, but this depends on several factors such as the weather, the person’s patience or lack thereof, and how early he wakes up.
Without a higher education, he sees his options as bleak and this job the only one he can do at the moment. Nathi lives in his friend’s tuckshop which is near the home affairs offices.
“People can be incredibly rude. They view me as inferior to the muck on their shoes because I perform this kind of work. I have approached folks who treated me like just another tsotsi, and received slaps and punches as a result.”
Nathi believes he may earn between R3 800 and R4 500 per month. He spends R200 on accommodation, R1 500 on groceries, and R2 000 per month to send money back home for his 3-year-old child.
The young man says that even though this is a difficult job, he is proud that he can, at the very least, provide for himself and his son and does not have to rely on anyone else.
Earlier this year, the Department of Home Affairs introduced the branch appointment booking system. This is a system that allows clients to make electronic bookings for selected services at selected branches.
“Citizens are encouraged to make use of the online booking system because in the near future, selected Home Affairs offices will process smart ID and passport applications only for clients who have booked an appointment through the branch appointment system.
“Pre-booked clients will be serviced at dedicated counters. It’s quick and easy.”
Despite this, lines are extremely long in most branches, and Nathi believes people like him will continue to make a living through these means.
*Nathi is not his real name. Changed for privacy.
IOL Business