"WHAT does the issues of Sassa, the issuing of birth certificates and ID's have to do with water."
These were the words of the IFP chairman in Gauteng, Bonginkosi Dlamini, during their sight visit to the Thusong Centre, Maponya Mall in Soweto, which was found closed.
Passers-by claimed that the centre had been closed since Wednesday, 12 July allegedly due to lack of water.
"We were hoping to see what was happening at the Home Affairs. We are disappointed and very upset that the centre is allegedly closed due to lack of water," Dlamini said.
He said they wanted to see that the work promised by the executive parliament was really happening on the ground, so they would also be able to raise issues with the relevant ministers in parliament.
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MPL member Ncamsile Nkwanyane told Daily Sun that they had come to check how Sassa was working.
"Maybe we have the same challenges as in KZN. We have come to see if people are getting their birth certificates on time, if death certificates are being issued on time, and if travel documents are being issued on time," Nkwanyane said.
"We are saddened that the Home Affairs is closed. There are people whose family members have died and need to apply for death certificates. The question is: when will these people bury their loved ones since Home Affairs is closed," she added.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Dlamini said the country's National Assembly and Legislature are on recess. The IFP's national caucus in Cape Town has decided to visit Gauteng to see a number of sites, including the Department of Home Affairs, Sassa and the police station, as well as communities affected by the water shortage.
The IFP National Parliamentary Caucus, supported by the IFP Gauteng Caucus, conducted a series of key oversight visits in Soweto on Thursday, 13 July to assess challenges related to the delivery of basic services such as security, water, health care, Sassa grants, Home Affairs services and overall living conditions.
The IFP also visited Moroka Police Station.
"During our visit to the police station, we were able to see both the good and the ugly. We are grateful that police station officials were honest about their successes and the challenges they face," Dlamini said.
