6 YEARS OF FAILURE!!!

**📣 FORMAL COMPLAINT: SIX YEARS OF FAILED SERVICE FROM HOME AFFAIRS**

To the Department of Home Affairs, To the Regional Manager, To the Office of the Minister,

I am writing this letter out of absolute frustration, exhaustion, and disbelief at the level of incompetence I have endured for **six years** while trying to complete a simple surname change.

What should have been a straightforward administrative process has turned into a **six‑year nightmare** filled with:

- endless queues, - offline systems, - contradictory instructions, - untrained staff, - unanswered calls, - ignored emails, - and a complete lack of accountability.

Let me outline the facts clearly:

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## **1️⃣ Six years of queues and “offline” excuses** I have stood in queues for hours — repeatedly — only to be told:

**“We are offline.”**

This has happened so many times that it is clear this is not an exception. It is the norm.

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## **2️⃣ My marriage certificate was uploaded — yet my surname was NOT changed** Despite providing all required documents, including my marriage certificate, I was issued a **new ID with my old surname**.

How does a department issue a new ID while ignoring the very document they uploaded?

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## **3️⃣ I was told I “cannot change my surname because I am still married to my previous husband”** This is not only incorrect — it is **insulting**.

I divorced in **2009**. I provided the **divorce decree**. Yet your system still reflects outdated, incorrect information.

This is not my error. This is your system’s failure.

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## **4️⃣ The online system is dysfunctional** I was instructed to complete the process online.

This is impossible when:

- OTPs arrive late or not at all, - the system times out, - appointments disappear, - and the platform fails to load.

This is not a digital service — it is a digital obstacle course.

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## **5️⃣ Calls and emails go unanswered** I have phoned repeatedly. No one answers. I have emailed repeatedly. No one responds.

A national department cannot operate like this.

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## **6️⃣ Today’s appointment was the final insult** I finally secured an appointment for **10:00 today**.

When I arrived:

- I was told I needed to print the appointment confirmation — despite the fact that **everything is supposed to be on your system**. - I was then told I “cannot be found on the system” — even though I have an ID and a passport. - I was sent to another staff member who could not operate the tablet and eventually told me to “go home and try online again.”

After six years of trying, this is the level of service I received.

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# **📌 This is not acceptable. Not for me. Not for any South African.**

I am not asking for special treatment. I am asking for **basic competence**.

I am asking for:

1. **Immediate correction of my surname** 2. **Immediate update of my marital status** 3. **Immediate confirmation of my application status** 4. **A senior official to take ownership of this case** 5. **A written explanation for the repeated failures of your systems and staff**

I have been patient for six years. That patience is gone.

This is not just my story — this is the story of thousands of South Africans who are failed daily by a department that is supposed to serve them.

I expect a response. I expect accountability. And I expect action.

**Enough is enough.**

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