Home Affairs appointment system failures leads to chaos at Tygervalley office

A viral video showing a woman being forcibly removed from the Tygervalley Home Affairs office has reignited concerns about the reliability of the department’s online booking system, after clients claimed they had confirmed appointments that officials said did not exist.

The one minute and 30 second video, which circulated on social media on Thursday, shows security personnel pushing a woman out of the department’s offices, causing her to fall to the ground. In the footage, the woman appears visibly distressed and short of breath as she indicates that she had a confirmed appointment on her phone and alleges that her spectacles and handbag were damaged during the altercation.

The video was shared alongside a social media post by another client who said they were present during the incident. The post claimed that four clients, including the woman in the video, had appointments at the Home Affairs office on the day but were told their names did not appear on the list held by officials.

According to the post, when the group asked officials to verify their reference numbers on the department’s system, they were allegedly refused assistance and instructed to leave the office. The post further alleged that the woman was injured during the incident and that officials and security personnel pushed the group when they sought help.

In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) confirmed it was aware of the incident at its Tygervalley Centre branch in Cape Town and acknowledged that the footage was distressing.

“The images in the video are upsetting and we regret the trauma the incident may have caused to the woman involved and to members of the public who viewed the footage. No one should experience or witness such treatment when seeking government services,” the department said.

However, the DHA said its records showed that the individual in the video did not have a valid appointment on the department’s booking system.

The department said it believed the woman may have been misled into purchasing an appointment slot from a third party, describing the practice as illegal and exploitative. It said its Counter-Corruption Unit was actively investigating those responsible.

The DHA stressed that all Home Affairs bookings are free and are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, urging members of the public not to pay anyone for booking slots and to report such scams.

DHA spokesperson and deputy ministerial spokesperson Thulani Mavuso said the private security guard involved in the incident had since been removed and that the circumstances surrounding the incident were under review to prevent similar occurrences in future.

The incident has cast a shadow over the Tygervalley office, which was opened less than a year ago as part of the department’s modernisation drive. When the facility was launched in April 2025, it was billed as a state-of-the-art office aimed at improving efficiency, reducing queues and providing a more dignified experience through a strict prior booking system.

While the department has repeatedly warned the public about scammers selling fake booking slots, the incident has raised fresh questions about how disputes are handled when clients arrive believing they have legitimate confirmations that do not reflect on officials’ systems.

The DHA said it remained committed to improving access to services and ensuring that all clients are treated with dignity and respect.

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Cape Argus