MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Department of Home Affairs has extended its operating hours at all modernised offices this month - until 28 February.

The Home Affairs Department, which opens at 08:00, will now be open until 18:00 in Mossel Bay. Although the office closes at 18:00, staff continue doing administration work until 19:00.

This came into being on Tuesday, 4 February. Previously the office closed to the public at 15:00 and staff continued doing administration work until 16:00.

Now the Home Affairs office in Mossel Bay will serve clients from 08:00 until 18:00 on week days, for the whole month, excluding weekends.

A media release from the national Home Affairs Department reads: "The department will ensure that everyone who is inside an office at the time of closing receives the service they require.

"The department encourages people intending to visit our offices to do so as early as they can on their preferred day. Applications for and collection of smart ID cards and passports will be prioritised during the extended operating hours.

"Other services such as issuance of birth certificates, death certificates and applications for amendments and rectifications will also be rendered.

"The department urges people, who had applied for smart ID cards more than two weeks ago, to visit the offices where they had applied for the documents to collect them.

"On average, the department has around 400 000 uncollected smart ID cards nationwide."

For more information, click here.

'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'