Department of SA Home Affairs - Birth Certificate -Surname Change Adoption

We are trying to adopt our son and our order of adoption from the court have arrived by us last year on the 12th of December 2024. So he just basically needs a new birth certificate with our surname: Earle.

We went to Department of SA Home Affairs on the 14th of January 2025, we paid to get our son's surname change done to Earle and all relevant document were handed in on that day at the Department of SA Home Affairs in Vryheid, Kwa-Zulu Natal, including the court order stating we can adopt him now. We have been to them twice now already with no luck to get our son's birth certificate back. They told us it will take 3 months and that we need to come back in April.

All they need to do is to change the surname, because we have adopted him.

When I go to the Vryheid Branch, they keep telling me that I need to contact the number: ***, but this line just keeps ringing or sometimes like today, it just says it is disconnected.

I have been to the Vryheid branch twice to check if the certificate has arrived on the following dates:

19th of June 2025 - I went there and they told me to contact this number again, Tel: ***, but I have phoned this number and nobody answers it. 3rd Of November 2025 - My social worker, Nokwanda went with me, but they just said I must phone the number, tel: ***, between 8 and 10, but there is no answer.

I have also emailed the email that was provided to me: *** I emailed on the 19th of June 2025, but nobody has responded, I sent the proof of payment, the court orders, all relevant documents with.

Please can someone assist me with this urgently. Our son almost needs to go to Grade R and we would love to have the birth certificate in our surname before then.

Our invoice numbers and dates are as follows: Invoice Number: 49222 Receipt Date: 2025/01/14 08:54:33 Receipt Number: IRE-*** ***-***5-IRE

Invoice Number: 49223 Receipt Date: 2025/01/14 08:55:20 Receipt Number: IRE-*** ***-***5-IRE

The other day I was there, the lady said it could take up to three years, we have had him for 4 years now and we received the documents in December 2024, we went to do the surname change in January 2025, as mentioned above. How is it possible for a surname change to take three years. Please assist urgently.