Would you pay someone to stand in a queue for you at Home Affairs?

Would you pay someone to stand in a queue for you at Home Affairs?

  • Yes

    Votes: 17 16.0%
  • I would pay to avoid any government facility queue

    Votes: 34 32.1%
  • I would pay to avoid any bad queuing situation

    Votes: 14 13.2%
  • No

    Votes: 38 35.8%
  • Other

    Votes: 3 2.8%

  • Total voters
    106
Last time I stood in a few queues for Passport/ Smart ID and DL was crazy, so inefficient, so broken so slow

paying is out of desperation when you simply dont have the time to fsxk around when they say 6-8 weeks, wen they actually mean 6 months baba, if the system isnt offline.

say they will SMS you that never comes, or send you a registered letter that good luck if it arrives.

if I have learned anything its that people will build entire businesses out of this inefficiency and corruption.
 
On the one hand, no. It just legitimises the brokenness of the system.

But on the other, the system is so broken that you probably have no other choice but to pay someone to queue for you if you have any hope of getting what you need done.
 
Same… if my bank offered the service where I live.
what about 'ol Leon's much vaunted digital rollout? haven't hit the eastern cape yet?

until there is a path for first time ID applicants who are permanent residents from non-visa exempt countries to get a smart ID none of that means much to my family anyway, I've grown bored of replying to every press release to point out that gap has not been addressed whenever they warn about the green book ID becoming defunct in future
 
what about 'ol Leon's much vaunted digital rollout? haven't hit the eastern cape yet?
According to FNB's website apparently not:

FNB in partnership with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has launched the application of Smart ID and passport (new/ renewal) to the public. Apply online and collect at one of these FNB Branches:
  • Lynnwood (Grove Shopping Mall)
  • Centurion Lifestyle
  • 4 Merchant Place
  • FNB Greenpoint
  • Burgersfort
  • FNB Cornubia
  • FNB The Glen
 
I voted other, passport and ID's I do at a bank, out of the ordinary stuff like us getting our sons vault birth certificate copies we paid someone to help us. I generally do the 'normal' stuff myself like vehicle and drivers licenses, ID's, passports, etc.
 
We applied for our passport renewal and my daughters first passport 06 May 2026 at Cullinan branch. On Tuesday 12 May 2026 I received a sms stating our passports are ready for collection

Thats 4 business days. Paid no one to queue

One thing I did notice is that at DHA offices, there is a KFC queue. Some people gets shoved to the front of the queue without a booking or anything
 
Hell I pay for someone to come out to our house to do biometrics and paperwork for my wife's europe visas.

Would cost me more in lost income/transport costs to go and do it at an official location, if you could even get an appointment.
 
The issue is with passports and id's, you have to be there physically as they do biometrics and photos
I assume we're talking about an arrangement where the fellow stands in the queue for you until you're physically required to be there to sign or scan or provide your DNA serialisation number or whatever. You are then alerted a set time before this requirement and drive there in time to provide these things.

So basically instead of being there for 8h, only 15min of which is actually productive time where you're being processed, you're just there for that 15min.

Otherwise this hypothetical service is basically useless.
 
Which banks offer vault or unabridged birth certificate copy services?
haven't needed any of that in a long long time

unabridged birth certificates were handed out straight at the hospital when my daughter was born, alas that ended in a DHA visit because one parent is a foreign national
 
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