Department of Home Affairs - Tongaat

Arrived at the Department of Home Affairs - Tongaat, Kwazulu Natal at 7am to apply for a passport and ID replacement, finished at 3:30pm (8.5hrs later). The guard at the 1st main gate works with outside private "operators" who solicit you for cash to get you to the front and in the main gate, from the time you park. We made the fatal mistake of not paying as we had made the effort to arrive early. Although the line was no more than 100m long, it never moved as the gate guard and the private "operators" ferry people to the front and you end up stationary for 2 hrs st a time. Took us 5 hrs just to get in the main gate,a further 3.5hrs thereafter. Take cash to pay the illicit "operators", or prepare to be crushed by a system that is broken.