A new Home Affairs office has opened at Cape Town’s Civic Centre, offering residents appointment-only services. The office, on the second floor next to the City’s cash office, is the first of its kind to be hosted by a municipality.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says residents can now handle more of their admin in one place.

“Having a Department of Home Affairs in the Civic Centre will mean that residents can more efficiently complete their admin to renew driver’s licences, pay their rates, and now also make applications for essential identification and travel documents. It will now be easier and quicker to do more of life’s admin.”

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says the new office will bring services closer to residents and help ease pressure on busy Home Affairs branches.

“Capetonians will now benefit from streamlined, appointment-based access to a critical government service at the Civic Centre that is centrally located with convenient and easy access for those using public transport. City facilities should be in service of our residents. With this office opening its doors today, we have a great example of what can be achieved when the two spheres of government collaborate in service of its residents.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening, Schreiber also spoke about the department’s plans to assist matric learners who still need IDs ahead of their final exams.

Thousands of learners are currently sitting for their mock exams, with the final exams set to take place from the end of October into November.

Schreiber says learners will soon be able to apply for first-time IDs at selected bank branches. He says this forms part of efforts to make it easier for learners to get their documents on time.

“We are doing a lot of work to deliver our services to you. Hundreds of thousands of learners also benefit from the mobile units that we have. We have about 220 units that go around the country, including to schools, to ensure learners get their first-time IDs. We are also finalising work in which we wish to see learners get their first-time IDs from banks, which for now only deal with replacement IDs, but work is in place to ensure that learners can apply for their first-time IDs at bank branches.”