Geographic accessibility study of social facility
and government service points for the
metropolitan cities of Johannesburg and
eThekwini 2011/12
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DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
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4 DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS: HOME AFFAIRS OFFICES
4.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 1
4.2 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 1
4.3 FACILITIES ANALYSED AND THEIR DEFINITIONS ............................................................................... 2
4.4 STANDARDS ............................................................................................................................................ 2
4.5 SPECIFIC POLICY ISSUES AND DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED AS INPUT TO THE STUDY ............... 3
4.6 SPECIFIC ANALYSIS PROCESS AND LOCATION FACTORS .............................................................. 3
4.7 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS FOR HOME AFFAIRS OFFICES IN JOHANNESBURG ............................. 4
4.7.1 Summary of Criteria and Analysis Process ....................................................................................... 4
4.7.2 Access to Services ............................................................................................................................ 5
4.7.3 Served Regions ................................................................................................................................. 7
4.7.4 Unserved Regions ............................................................................................................................. 9
4.7.5 Proposed facilities identified by the Department of Home Affairs .................................................... 11
4.7.6 Intervention Strategy/ Proposed New Facilities ............................................................................... 11
4.7.7 Costing ............................................................................................................................................ 14
4.8 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS FOR HOME AFFAIRS OFFICES IN ETHEKWINI ..................................... 15
4.8.1 Summary of Criteria and Analysis Process ..................................................................................... 15
4.8.2 Access to Services .......................................................................................................................... 15
4.8.3 Served Regions ............................................................................................................................... 18
4.8.4 Unserved Regions ........................................................................................................................... 20
4.8.5 Intervention Strategy/ Proposed New Facilities ............................................................................... 22
4.8.6 Costing ............................................................................................................................................ 25
4.9 KEY FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................................... 26
4.9.1 General Trends and Common Issues ............................................................................................. 26
4.9.2 Summary Tables of Facilities Required ........................................................................................... 26
4.9.3 Concluding Statement ..................................................................................................................... 28
4.10 ADDENDUM ........................................................................................................................................... 29
4.10.1 Record of Meetings ......................................................................................................................... 29
TABLES
Table 4.1: Summary of criteria and analysis process for Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg ...................... 5
Table 4.2: Population access to Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg within selected distance bands .......... 7
Table 4.3: Population served within 15 km and the capacity of Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg ............ 9
Table 4.4: Potential demand addressed by Home Affairs facilities (current and proposed) in Johannesburg.. 13
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Geographic accessibility study of social facility and government service points for the metropolitan cities of Johannesburg and eThekwini 2011/12
Table 4.5: Estimated costs involved in establishing a new Home Affairs Local Office ..................................... 14
Table 4.6: Summary of criteria and analysis process for Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini ........................... 15
Table 4.7: Population access to Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini within selected distance bands ............... 16
Table 4.8: Population served within 15 km and the capacity of Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini ................. 20
Table 4.9: Potential demand addressed by Home Affairs facilities (current and proposed) in eThekwini ........ 24
Table 4.10: Estimated costs involved in establishing a new Home Affairs Local Office .................................... 25
Table 4.11: New facilities required in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area and the possible served demand . 26
Table 4.12: New facilities required in the eThekwini Metropolitan area and the possible served demand ........ 27
FIGURES
Figure 4.1: Travel distance to the closest Home Affairs Office in Johannesburg ................................................ 6
Figure 4.2: Areas served by Home Affair Offices in Johannesburg based on service capacity constraints and distance ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Figure 4.3: Areas unserved by Home Affair Offices in Johannesburg based on service capacity constraints and distance .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Figure 4.4: Impact of proposed new and expanded Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg on unserved demand........................................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 4.5: Travel distance to the closest Home Affairs Office in eThekwini ..................................................... 17
Figure 4.6: Areas served by Home Affair Offices in eThekwini based on service capacity constraints and distance .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 4.7: Areas unserved by Home Affair Offices in eThekwini based on service capacity constraints and distance .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Figure 4.8: Impact of proposed new and expanded Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini on unserved demand . 23
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4 DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS: HOME AFFAIRS OFFICES
4.1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4.1.1 Home Affairs Offices are in general well located but their capacity is drastically below the demand for
their services in both Johannesburg and eThekwini, resulting in current facilities being under high
pressure. In Johannesburg, eight new facilities are required (in areas such as Cosmo City, Diepsloot
and Rabie Ridge, Newlands, Malvern and Soweto) and eight existing facilities will need to expand and
increase their operational capacity if the demand is to be met. In eThekwini, nine new facilities (four in
the north: Phoenix, Bridge City, Verulam, Mnini and the remaining five at Umnini, Umbogintwini,
Pinetown South, Hillcrest and Newlands) are required. Five existing facilities in eThekwini will need to
expand their service capacity to meet the current demand.
4.2 INTRODUCTION
4.2.1 This report section provides an overview of the analysis and findings in respect to the provision of Home
Affairs Offices in the Johannesburg and eThekwini metropolitan areas.
4.2.2 The analysis forms part of the accessibility study that was conducted by the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) for the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in the Metropolitan municipalities
of Johannesburg and eThekwini. The study was undertaken as part of the Government Programme of
Action (Outcome 12) and was funded by the Department of Public Services and Administration (DPSA).
4.2.3 As a subcomponent of the larger study, the analysis promotes the development of integrated facility
plans in relation to each of the metropolitan areas. This is achieved by, firstly, supporting the
achievement of more equitable and affordable access to a range of services in all parts of the selected
areas. Secondly, it facilitates the clustering of facilities where appropriate and the provision of services
from centralised points, such as Thusong Service Centres.
4.2.4 The analysis also assisted DHA in testing and refining its geographic access norms and service
catchment threshold parameters, i.e. the relationship between service demand within a defined distance
of a facility and the capacity of the facility service point. The testing of access and threshold standards
was specifically undertaken for the two metropolitan areas but should also prove suitable for application
in the other metropolitan areas of South Africa.
4.2.5 Several formal stakeholder engagements were held with officials from the Department of Home Affairs
and key contact people were appointed to represent the Department for the study purposes (see the
Addendum, Section 4.10 for details).
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4.2.6 This section will report on the findings and outcomes of the geographical accessibility study in terms of:
Access norms and standards tested and agreed upon for the Department of Home Affairs;
Collated datasets for the spatial distribution, service capacity and hierarchy of facilities;
Current overall accessibility and service levels;
Shortfalls and areas in need of intervention;
Optimisation, prioritisation and correct facility size of new and expanded facilities; and,
Cost implications in relation to infrastructure.
4.3 FACILITIES ANALYSED AND THEIR DEFINITIONS
4.3.1 It was agreed with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) that the new facility classification as proposed
by the Department be used. All facilities should provide a full range of services at a specific location,
with the exception of the mobile offices, and should have the capacity to serve a certain number of
people based on its place within the office hierarchy. The facilities incorporated in the analysis include
the current Home Affairs Offices types, namely:
Local Office: Small (capacity – 40 000 population served), previously represented by
permanent service points and Thusong Service Centres;
Local Office: Medium (capacity – 160 000 population served), previously represented by Small
and Average District Offices; and,
Local Office: Large (capacity – 400 000 population served), previously represented by Large
and Average Regional Offices.
4.3.2 Mobile Offices generally have a capacity of serving populations of between 10 000 to 20 000 people but
are limited in metropolitan areas and currently only one operational unit is active in eThekwini. These
facilities were thus not included in the analysis process.
4.4 STANDARDS
4.4.1 After discussion, DHA agreed to the following standards for use in the analyses:
A 15 km metropolitan urban standard to be tested for its feasibility. This was aligned to the
standards for other social services with similar service characteristics, namely SASSA, Labour
Offices and Thusong Service Centres.
The national accessibility distance of 25 km is generally used by the DHA, except in the
Northern Cape where a 50 km travel distance is applied. This standard is however more
suitable to non-metropolitan areas.
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DHA requested that no consideration be given to an urban/rural split within a metropolitan area
and that the same access distance standard should be applied throughout a given area.
The current Offices had allocated capacities for population served of 40 000, 160 000 or
400 000. This capacity range was used to determine the thresholds for the proposed facilities.
However, DHA instructed that no new Large Offices (400 000 capacity) should be considered
for implementation but only the Small and Medium Offices types.
4.5 SPECIFIC POLICY ISSUES AND DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED AS INPUT TO THE STUDY
4.5.1 The following documents were considered during the study:
Redbook” – Guidelines for Human Settlement Planning and Design. 2000. (Available online at
http://www.csir.co.za/Built_environment/RedBook/).
CSIR 2012. CSIR Guidelines for the Provision of Social Facilities in South African Settlements.
First edition: August 2012.
(Available online at www.csir.co.za/Built_environment/Guidelines_Standards.html).
4.5.2 The CSIR was briefed on DHA’s objectives to move as far as possible toward IT-based service
provision in the long term (e.g. the implementation of self-help kiosks at all facilities). However, this will
not impact on the scope of this particular study.
4.5.3 The Department indicated that where access is beyond the acceptable limit and there is insufficient
demand for a permanent service point, the use of mobile offices should be considered. However, the
severe lack of operational mobile units excluded this option from being considered as a permanent
solution to providing access to services.
4.5.4 The Department of Home Affairs is considered an anchor tenant for Thusong Service Centres and thus
consideration was given to the integration of these services in the proposed implementation plan.
4.6 SPECIFIC ANALYSIS PROCESS AND LOCATION FACTORS
4.6.1 The stakeholder interaction indicated that on the whole the standard analysis process could be followed.
The Flowmap software (developed by Utrecht University, Netherlands) was used for all accessibility
analyses and modelling and ESRI’s ArcGIS 10.1 software was used for visualisation purposes.
4.6.2 The first step of the analyses process was to obtain an understanding of the current situation of
accessibility across each of the two metropolitan areas by doing an unconstrained travel distance
analysis. This indicated how far every part of the metro was from the closest Home Affairs Office. These
average travel distances of the population to access current Home Affairs facilities were used as input
to the standards determination and the verification of the proposed 15 km standard.
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4.6.3 Following this a constrained analysis was undertaken of the Home Affairs Offices based on their
capacity thresholds as set by DHA. This means that more people will not be allocated to a facility than it
has capacity to provide services for even if they live close to a facility. DHA’s national travel distance
constraint is generally 25 km; however, this was revised for metropolitan areas and the feasibility of a
15 km travel distance was evaluated. The facility capacities provided by DHA were based on the
maximum number of service counters available per facility and thereby the potential clients that could
be served, which in practice could vary significantly. The output of the constrained analysis provided an
indication of the served and unserved demand (population) in the respective metros.
4.6.4 DHA provided the CSIR with a set of proposed facilities that had been identified in a previous study. The
facilities’ locations and capacity constraints were evaluated with respect to the optimisation analysis that
was run. Based on the results, the proposed facilities that were deemed feasible were selected for
further testing while the others were not considered further.
4.6.5 DHA indicated a preference for smaller offices with less than 100 000 service capacities for future
implementation but this was eventually not considered to be feasible given the extent of the service
backlog
4.6.6 A further capacity and travel distance constrained analysis was run that incorporated the new proposed
facilities. The resulting unallocated demand was then dealt with either through the upgrading of current
Small and Medium Local Offices or by locating new facilities based on the optimisation model.
4.6.7 Costing of the new and expanded facilities was calculated based on the data provided by DHA.
4.7 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS FOR HOME AFFAIRS OFFICES IN JOHANNESBURG
4.7.1 Summary of Criteria and Analysis Process
4.7.1.1 Table 4.1 provides a summary of the Home Affairs facilities analysed, the standards agreed upon and
the analyses process undertaken.
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Table 4.1: Summary of criteria and analysis process for Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg
Facilities analysed All Home Affairs Offices (14 in total)
Travel mode & access distance 15 km urban travel distance standard
Demand Total population of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality – 3 685 073
Supply
14 Home Affairs Offices with a total capacity of 1 760 000, comprising:
8 Small Offices of 40 000 capacity;
4 Medium Offices of 160 000 capacity; and,
2 Large Offices of 400 000 capacity.
Analyses undertaken
Unconstrained travel distance to nearest Home Affairs Office
Constrained catchment area analysis for capacity (people served by Offices) and travel distance (15 km)
Evaluation of current proposed facilities
Optimised locations for new Home Affairs Offices
Prioritisation list for implementation in phases
4.7.2 Access to Services
4.7.2.1 The first step in the analysis process is to show the access distance from all the residential parts of the
metropolitan area to the nearest Home Affairs Office. This analysis is based on travel distance (km) to
each office and excludes any capacity limits of the Offices, i.e. any restrictions on the number of
people they can serve were not applied. The output of the analysis was used to inform the discussion
with DHA on the acceptable access distance to be used for metropolitan areas and to align this with
the standards of comparable facilities, such as those of the Department of Labour and SASSA.
4.7.2.2 Figure 4.1 indicates the travel distances from the residential areas of the metro to the closest Home
Affairs Office with no service capacity constraints taken into account. Measured travel distances are
reflected in kilometres (km) and displayed in a range of colour bands of 5 km increments.
4.7.2.3 From Figure 4.1 it is clear that the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality has a very good overall
coverage with Offices being well-distributed. The average travel distance to access an Office is
5.25 km across the metropolitan area. Table 4.2 indicates the number of people that have access to a
Home Affairs Office within different distance bands. Within the Johannesburg Metropolitan
Municipality, 97.5% of people can reach a Home Affairs Office within 15 km; highlighting the good
overall accessibility within the Municipality. Based on the unconstrained accessibility analysis and in
consultation with the Department the 15 km access norm was agreed to based on its feasibility and
alignment with comparable facility standards (e.g. those for Labour Offices).
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Figure 4.1: Travel distance to the closest Home Affairs Office in Johannesburg
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Table 4.2: Population access to Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg within selected distance
bands
Home Affairs: Distance from an Office in Johannesburg
Distance bands (km) No. of people % of people Cumulative %
5 2 440 004 66.21 66.21
10 962 042 26.11 92.32
15 190 653 5.17 97.49
20 37 030 1.0 98.50
25 55 340 1.5 100
>25 4 0 100
Total 3 685 073 100
4.7.3 Served Regions
4.7.3.1 The second step in the analysis process is to show areas served by each of the current Home Affairs
Offices by using a constrained catchment analysis. This analysis uses both the capacity of the Offices
(number of people it is able to serve) and the agreed travel distance standard (15 km) as constraints
on the accessibility of the various Offices.
4.7.3.2 Figure 4.2 shows the served population graded by the various distance bands and constrained by the
service capacities of the Offices. The figure clearly highlights the service capacity shortfall of the
facilities as all Offices run out of capacity within 8 km or less, with the majority of Offices exceeding
capacity within the first 5 km distance band.
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Figure 4.2: Areas served by Home Affair Offices in Johannesburg based on service capacity
constraints and distance
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4.7.3.3 Only 48% of the population within the Johannesburg Municipality is considered served within the
15 km standard (Table 4.3).
Table 4.3: Population served within 15 km and the capacity of Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg
Home Affairs: Potential served population within 15 km (capacity constrained)
Distance band (km) Unserved Served % Served Total population
5 809 681 1 630 323 44.24 2 440 004
10 820 593 141 449 3.84 962 042
15 190 653 - - 190 653
20 37 030 - - 37 030
25 55 340 - - 55 340
>25 4 - - 4
Total 1 913 301 1 771 772 48.08 3 685 073
4.7.4 Unserved Regions
4.7.4.1 Figure 4.3 shows the number of people in areas which are not served (shown by the colour shadings).
These areas are either out of reach of a facility within a 15 km travel distance or cannot utilise the
facilities based on the capacity constraints of the various offices. The white areas on the figure
indicate served population. In Johannesburg, 52% of the population is considered to be unserved by
Home Affairs Offices; however, the majority of the unserved population (95%) lies within 15 km (the
distance standard) of an Office. The areas of unserved population highlight the need for the upgrading
of facilities and for placing new facilities with higher capacities in the areas of greatest need (the most
darkly shaded areas) of the metropolitan area. The largest unserved demand is located in the Orange
Farm, Southern Soweto, Diepsloot, Tembisa and Lenasia areas.
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Figure 4.3: Areas unserved by Home Affair Offices in Johannesburg based on service capacity
constraints and distance
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4.7.5 Proposed facilities identified by the Department of Home Affairs
4.7.5.1 Owing to the limited capacity provided by the current facilities, DHA identified 20 new locations with
specific capacities (primarily that of local Small Offices) to increase supply. The analysis showed that
even after implementing all 20 facilities 16% of the population would still be unserved; primarily the
result of the capacity constraints of the facilities. A revised proposal was then developed in discussion
with DHA (see below).
4.7.6 Intervention Strategy/ Proposed New Facilities
4.7.6.1 Based on the unserved population shown in Figure 4.3, an optimisation analysis was run to indicate
where best to locate new facilities to serve the majority of the currently unserved population.
4.7.6.2 Figure 4.4 depicts the proposed optimisation solution. Based on this, it is indicated that eight of the
current 40 000 capacity facilities be upgraded to 160 000 capacity (symbols in green) and to
implement only eight of the new facilities (black symbols) proposed by DHA but these also to have a
capacity of 160 000 each. This optimisation schedule will result in 98% of the population being served
within the Johannesburg metropolitan area, reducing the unserved demand from 52% to 2%. The
additional unserved demand of 2% is located on the peripheries of the Municipality – near
Krugersdorp and Sebokeng – with nearby facilities located outside the metropolitan boundary.
4.7.6.3 The limited budget of DHA required a prioritisation list for interventions. Table 4.4 provides a list of all
the proposed facilities (current, new and expanded) and the potential demand able to be addressed
by each facility. This assists in rendering interventions based on service coverage.
4.7.6.4 It should be noted that in consultation with Johannesburg city planners, DHA advised that the facility at
Rabie Ridge should be moved to the Midrand area because of: 1) growing demand in the area; 2) the
future projected expansion of the area; 3) the influence of the bordering Ekurhuleni metropolitan area;
as well as, 4) the influence of the proposed upgrading of the Ivory Park facility.
4.7.6.5 The demand/supply from the bordering Ekurhuleni metropolitan area should be looked at in terms of
the proposed Malvern facility.
4.7.6.6 The proposed facility at Cosmo City was also supported by Johannesburg city planners based on the
area’s growing demand and future projections.
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Figure 4.4: Impact of proposed new and expanded Home Affairs Offices in Johannesburg on
unserved demand
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Table 4.4: Potential demand addressed by Home Affairs facilities (current and proposed) in
Johannesburg
Home Affairs: Potential demand addressed by facilities
Facility name Intervention Old
Capacity
New
Capacity
Demand
Served
Soweto Retain 400 000 400 000 369 529
Johannesburg Retain 400 000 400 000 359 028
Orange Farm Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Naledi New 0 160 000 160 000
Bellavista New 0 160 000 160 000
Ipelegeng Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Dobsonville Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Kopanong Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Newlands New 0 160 000 160 000
Roodepoort Retain 160 000 160 000 160 000
Alexandra (Wynberg) Retain 160 000 160 000 160 000
Alexandra Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Randburg Retain 160 000 160 000 160 000
Ivory Park (Lord
Khanyile)
Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Ennerdale Expand 40 000 160 000 158 577
Maponya Mall (Soweto) Retain 160 000 160 000 155 292
Eldorado Park Expand 40 000 160 000 148 957
Rabie Ridge New (at proposed Thusong
Centre)
0 160 000 134 519
Diepsloot New (at current Thusong Centre) 0 160 000 131 100
Thembalihle (Lenasia) New 0 160 000 109 419
Malvern New 0 160 000 104 295
Cosmo City New (at proposed Thusong
Centre)
0 160 000 80 643
Total 1 760 000 4 000 000
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4.7.7 Costing
4.7.7.1 Table 4.5 indicates the estimated costs involved in the building of a new local office and the leasing of
existing structures (according to the new DHA Model and Cost implications on DHA Civics Footprint
expansion, December 2011). The estimated minimum roll-out costs in Table 4.5 are based on the
assumption that the minimum number of posts are filled while the maximum roll-out costs involve
filling the maximum number of posts according to the organisational structure of a specific office. For a
new building R 9 000/m2 building costs were assumed while in terms of leasing office space it is
assumed that the rent would be between R 150/m² to R 200/m².
Table 4.5: Estimated costs involved in establishing a new Home Affairs Local Office
Costing of Home Affairs Offices: Local Offices
Local Offices
Estimated costs for new
building
Estimated costs for lease
of building
Local Office Small: Average min. roll-out costs N/A N/A
Local Office Small: Average max. roll-out costs R 2 857 870 R 1 612 270
Local Office Medium: Average min. roll-out costs R 16 902 328 R 11 028 962
Local Office Medium: Average max. roll-out costs R 40 116 328 R 26 460 928
Local Office Large: Average min. roll-out costs R 40 151 889 R 28 172 889
Local Office Large: Average max. roll-out costs R 83 200 624 R 56 120 824
4.7.7.2 The costs indicate the set-up costs for a specific office. This includes the first year of personnel and
operating costs and the once off establishment costs of office space, IT, furbishing and vehicle costs.
4.7.7.3 The personnel costs were calculated on the 2010/2011 salary scales and include the posts as set out
in the organisational structure, which could involve between 24 to 97 office staff for a Local Medium
Office.
4.7.7.4 IT costs implies the costs of the IT equipment, while furbishing costs involve all non-IT movable
assets and vehicle costs involve the acquisition of vehicles but exclude maintenance costs.
4.7.7.5 It is estimated that building the eight new Local Medium Offices (160 000 capacity) would cost
between R 135 218 624 to R 320 930 624. It should however be noted that currently three of the new
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office facilities are proposed to be sited at current Thusong Centres which could entail the leasing of
office space depending on the current spaces available.
4.7.7.6 The upgrading of the proposed eight expansions of Local Small Offices to Medium Offices are
subjected to the facilities and space currently available and require further investigation.
4.8 ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS FOR HOME AFFAIRS OFFICES IN ETHEKWINI
4.8.1 Summary of Criteria and Analysis Process
4.8.1.1 Table 4.6 provides a summary of the Home Affairs facilities analysed, the standards agreed upon and
the analysis process undertaken.
Table 4.6: Summary of criteria and analysis process for Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini
Facilities analysed All Home Affairs Offices (11 in total)
Travel mode & access
distance 15 km urban travel distance standard
Demand Total population of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality –
3 667 106
Supply
11 Home Affairs Offices with a total capacity of 1 640 000, comprising:
5 Small Offices of 40 000 capacity;
4 Medium Offices of 160 000 capacity; and,
2 Large Offices of 400 000 capacity.
Analyses undertaken
Unconstrained travel distance to nearest Home Affairs Office
Constrained catchment areas analysis for capacity (people served by Offices) and travel distance (15 km)
Evaluation of current proposed facilities
Optimised locations for new Home Affairs Offices
Prioritisation list for implementation in phases
4.8.2 Access to Services
4.8.2.1 The first step in the analysis process is to show the access distance from all the residential parts of the
metro to the nearest Home Affairs Office. This analysis is based on travel distance (km) to each Office
and excludes any capacity limits of the Offices, i.e. any restrictions on the number of people they can
serve were not applied. The output of the analysis was used to inform the discussion with DHA on the
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acceptable access distance to be used for metropolitan areas and to align this with the standards of
comparable facilities, such as those of the Department of Labour and SASSA.
4.8.2.2 Figure 4.5 indicates the travel distances from all residential areas of the metro to the closest Home
Affairs Office with no service capacity constraints taken into account. Measured travel distances are
reflected in kilometres (km) and displayed in a range of colour bands of 5 km increments.
4.8.2.3 From Figure 4.5 it can be observed that the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality has areas of poor
coverage. The average travel distance to access an Office is 10.42 km across the metropolitan area.
Table 4.7 indicates the number of people that have access to a Home Affairs Office within different
distance bands. Within eThekwini, 91% of people have access to a Home Affairs Office within 15 km.
Based on the unconstrained accessibility analyses and in consultation with the Department, the 15 km
access norm was agreed to, based on its potential feasibility and alignment with comparable facility
standards (e.g. those for Labour Offices).
Table 4.7: Population access to Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini within selected distance bands
Home Affairs: Distance from an Office in eThekwini
Distance bands (km) No. of people % of people Cumulative %
5 1 091 056 29.75% 21.89%
10 1 515 923 41.34% 52.81%
15 735 423 20.05% 91.15%
20 193 455 5.28% 96.42%
25 69 811 1.90% 98.32%
>25 61 438 1.68% 100%
Total 3 667 106 100%
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Figure 4.5: Travel distance to the closest Home Affairs Office in eThekwini
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4.8.3 Served Regions
4.8.3.1 The second step in the analysis process is to show the areas served by the current Home Affairs
Offices using a constrained catchment analysis. This analysis uses both the capacity of the Offices
(number of people it is able to serve) and the agreed travel distance standard (15 km or less) as
constraints on the accessibility of the various Offices.
4.8.3.2 Figure 4.6 shows the served population graded by the various distance bands and constrained by the
service capacities of the Offices. The figure clearly highlights the service capacity shortfall of several
of the facilities as the Inanda, Chatsworth and Umbumbulu Offices run out of capacity within the first
5 km.
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Figure 4.6: Areas served by Home Affair Offices in eThekwini based on service capacity constraints
and distance
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4.8.3.3 Only 44% of the population within the eThekwini Municipality is considered served within 15 km
(Table 4.8).
Table 4.8: Population served within 15 km and the capacity of Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini
Home Affairs: Potential served population within 15 km (capacity constrained)
Distance band (15 km) Unserved Served % Served Total population
5 270763 820293 22.37 1091056
10 1040432 475491 12.97 1515923
15 435995 299428 8.17 735423
20 193455 0 0.00 193455
25 69811 0 0.00 69811
>25 61438 0 0.00 61438
Total 2 071 894 1 595 212 43.5% 3 667 106
4.8.4 Unserved Regions
4.8.4.1 Figure 4.7Figure 4.7 shows the number of people in areas which are not served (shown by the colour
shadings). These areas are either out of reach of a facility within a 15 km travel distance or cannot
utilise the facilities based on the capacity constraints of the various offices. The white areas on the
figure indicate served population. In eThekwini, 56% of the population is considered to be unserved by
Home Affairs Offices. The areas of unserved population highlight the need for the upgrading of
facilities and new facilities with higher capacities in the areas of most need (darkly shaded areas) of
the metropolitan area. The largest unserved demand is located in the Inanda, Pinetown South and
Chatsworth areas.
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Figure 4.7: Areas unserved by Home Affair Offices in eThekwini based on service capacity
constraints and distance
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4.8.4.2 Owing to the limited capacity provided by the current facilities, DHA identified seven new locations
with specific capacities to increase supply. The analysis showed that even after implementing all
seven facilities there would still be many unserved people; primarily the result of capacity constraints,
an insufficient number of facilities and their non-optimal locations. A revised proposal was then
developed in discussion with DHA (see below).
4.8.5 Intervention Strategy/ Proposed New Facilities
4.8.5.1 Based on the unserved population shown in Figure 4.7, an optimisation analysis was run to indicate
where best to locate new facilities to serve the majority of the currently unserved population.
4.8.5.2 Figure 4.8:Figure 4.8 depicts the proposed optimisation solution. Based on this, it is indicated that five
of the current 40 000 capacity facilities be upgraded to 160 000 capacity (green symbols) and that
nine new facilities (black symbols) be implemented of which eight facilities will have 160 000 capacity
and one facility will have 40 000 capacity. This optimisation solution will result in 88% of the population
being served within the eThekwini metropolitan area, reducing the unserved demand from 56% to
12%. The additional unserved demand is located primarily on the peripheries of the Municipality and
mobile offices should be considered for deployment to address this demand.
4.8.5.3 The limited budget of DHA required a prioritisation list for interventions. Table 4.9 provides a list of all
the proposed facilities (current, new and expanded) and the potential demand able to be addressed
by each facility. This assists in rendering interventions based on service coverage.
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Figure 4.8: Impact of proposed new and expanded Home Affairs Offices in eThekwini on unserved
demand
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Table 4.9: Potential demand addressed by Home Affairs facilities (current and proposed) in
eThekwini
Home Affairs: Potential demand addressed by facilities
Facility name Intervention Old Capacity New
Capacity
Demand
Served
Umlazi Retain 400 000 400 000 400 000
Durban (eThekwini) Retain 400 000 400 000 197 138
Umbogintwini New (at proposed Thusong
Centre)
0 160 000 160 000
Chatsworth Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Durban (Commercial
Road)
Retain 160 000 160 000 160 000
Pinetown South New (at proposed Thusong
Centre)
0 160 000 160 000
Mpumalanga Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Newlands New 0 160 000 160 000
KwaMashu New 0 160 000 160 000
Phoenix (Bridge City) New (at proposed Thusong
Centre)
0 160 000 160 000
Inanda Expand 40 000 160 000 160 000
Mnini (North of Inanda) New 0 160 000 160 000
Verulam New (potentially at Thusong
Centre)
0 160 000 160 000
Umbumbulu Expand 40 000 160 000 157 024
Archie Gumede
(Clermont)
Expand 40 000 160 000 155 362
Pinetown Retain 160 000 160 000 152 640
Prospecton Retain 160 000 160 000 150 051
Hillcrest New 0 160 000 125 871
Tongaat Retain 160 000 160 000 84 496
Ilovo / Umnini New (at Umnini Thusong Centre) 0 40 000 40 000
Total 1 640 000 3 560 000
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4.8.6 Costing
4.8.6.1 Table 4.10 indicates the estimated costs involved in the building of a new local office and the leasing
of existing structures (according to the new DHA Model and Cost implications on DHA Civics Footprint
expansion, December 2011). The estimated minimum roll-out costs in Table 4.10 are based on the
assumption that the minimum number of posts are filled while the maximum roll-out costs involves
filling the maximum number of posts according to the organisational structure of a specific office. For a
new building R 9 000/m² building costs were assumed, while leasing office space is assumed to cost
between R 150/m² to R 200/m².
Table 4.10: Estimated costs involved in establishing a new Home Affairs Local Office
Costing of Home Affairs Offices: Local Offices
Local Offices Estimated costs for
new building
Estimated costs
for lease of
building
Local Office Small: Average min. roll-out costs N/A N/A
Local Office Small: Average max. roll-out costs R 2 857 870 R 1 612 270
Local Office Medium: Average min. roll-out costs R 16 902 328 R 11 028 962
Local Office Medium: Average max. roll-out costs R 40 116 328 R 26 460 928
Local Office Large: Average min. roll-out costs R 40 151 889 R 28 172 889
Local Office Large: Average max roll-out costs R 83 200 624 R 56 120 824
4.8.6.2 The costs indicate the set-up costs for a specific office. This includes the first year of personnel and
operating costs and the once off establishment costs of office space, IT, furbishing and vehicle costs.
4.8.6.3 The personnel costs were calculated on the 2010/2011 salary scales.
4.8.6.4 IT costs relate to IT equipment, furbishing costs involve all non-IT movable assets and vehicle costs
involve the acquisition of vehicles but exclude maintenance costs.
4.8.6.5 It is estimated that building the eight new Local Medium Offices (160 000 capacity) and one Local
Small Office (40 000 capacity) would cost between R 138 076 494 to R 323 788 494. It should
however be noted that currently five of the new office facilities are proposed at current Thusong
Centres which could entail leasing office space depending on the current space available.
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4.8.6.6 The upgrading of the proposed five expansions of Local Small Offices to Medium Offices are
subjected to the facilities and spaces currently available and require further investigation.
4.9 KEY FINDINGS
4.9.1 General Trends and Common Issues
4.9.1.1 For both the Johannesburg and eThekwini metropolitan areas more than 98% of the population have
access to a Home Affairs facility within the national 25 km access standard proposed by DHA and
more than 91% of the population have access to a Home Affairs facility within the newly proposed
15 km Metropolitan access standard. The average travel distance of the population to a facility is
5.25 km for Johannesburg and 10.42 km for eThekwini. Given the service capacity constraints of the
facilities (as provided by DHA) there is a significant shortfall in the population that can be served by
these established facilities. In both metropolitan areas the current facilities do not adequately address
the need for such services, leaving 52% of people unserved in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area
and 56% of people unserved in the eThekwini Metropolitan area.
4.9.1.2 Given the DHA preference towards smaller offices it is therefore advisable to establish and upgrade a
number of Local Medium and Small Offices to cover the demand for these services.
4.9.2 Summary Tables of Facilities Required
4.9.2.1 Tables 4.11 and 4.12 provide a summary of the new and upgraded Local Medium and Small Offices
that are suggested (listed in order of preference) for the Johannesburg and eThekwini Metropolitan
area respectively. The potential demand indicates the amounts of people potentially served within the
15 km access standard if the capacities of the various offices are taken into account.
Table 4.11: New facilities required in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area and the possible served
demand
Facility Name New Capacity Potential Demand Estimated Costs of New Building
*Orange Farm 160 000 160 000 N/A
Naledi 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Bellavista 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
*Ipelegeng 160 000 160 000 N/A
*Dobsonville 160 000 160 000 N/A
*Kopanong 160 000 160 000 N/A
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Facility Name New Capacity Potential Demand Estimated Costs of New Building
Newlands 160 000 160 000 N/A
*Alexandra 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
*Ivory Park (Lord Khanyile) 160 000 160 000 N/A
*Ennerdale 160 000 158 577 N/A
*Eldorado Park 160 000 148 957 N/A
Rabie Ridge 160 000 134 519 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Diepsloot 160 000 131 100 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Thembalihle 160 000 109 419 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Malvem 160 000 104 295 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Cosmo City 160 000 80 643 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
(* Indicates Small Local Offices that should be upgraded to Medium Local Offices)
Table 4.12: New facilities required in the eThekwini Metropolitan area and the possible served demand
Facility Name New Capacity Potential Demand Estimated Costs of New Building
Umbogintwini 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
*Chatsworth 160 000 160 000 N/A
Pinetown South 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
*Mpumalanga 160 000 160 000 N/A
Newlands 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
KwaMashu 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Phoenix (Bridge City) 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
*Inanda 160 000 160 000 N/A
Mnini 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Verulam 160 000 160 000 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
*Umbumbulu 160 000 157 024 N/A
*Archie Gumede (Clermont) 160 000 155 362 N/A
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Facility Name New Capacity Potential Demand Estimated Costs of New Building
Hillcrest 160 000 125 871 R 16 902 328 to R 40 116 328
Ilovo/Umnini 40 000 40 000 R 2 857 870
(* Indicates Small Local Offices that should be upgraded to Medium Local Offices)
4.9.3 Concluding Statement
4.9.3.1 In total eight new and eight upgraded Medium Local Facilities are proposed for Johannesburg and
nine new (one of which is a Local Small Office) and five upgraded Medium Local Facilities are
proposed for eThekwini.
4.9.3.2 Given the limited budget of DHA it is advised that the provision of new facilities is undertaken in a
phased approach taking cognisance of other social service facilities.
4.9.3.3 Detailed data was available on the establishment of new DHA facilities but the upgrading of facilities
from Small Local Offices to Medium Local Offices is subject to further investigation depending on the
current operational space available, resource needs and building lease agreements.
4.9.3.4 To date only Small Local Offices have been established at Thusong centres. The establishment of a
Medium Local Office is therefore subjected to further investigation and dependent on the operational
space available at these facilities.
4.9.3.5 It should also be noted that in consultation with Johannesburg city planners, it is advised that the
facility at Rabie Ridge should be moved to the Midrand area because of: 1) growing demand in the
area; 2) the future projected expansion of the area; 3) the influence of the bordering Ekurhuleni
metropolitan; as well as, 4) the influence of the proposed upgrading of the Ivory Park facility.
4.9.3.6 The demand/supply from the bordering Ekurhuleni metropolitan area should be looked at in terms of
the proposed Malvern facility in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area.
4.9.3.7 The proposed facility at Cosmo City was also supported by Johannesburg city planners based on
growing demand and future projections for this area.
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4.10 ADDENDUM
4.10.1 Record of Meetings
4.10.1.1 Formal stakeholder engagements were held with officials from the Department of Home Affairs on the
following dates:
Project overview meeting: 8 November 2011
Data follow-up meeting: 25 January 2012
Preliminary access analyses: 8 March 2012 (Stakeholders meeting in
eThekwini)
Access norms & standards discussion: 14 May 2012
Refined analyses meeting: 26 June 2012
Recommendations and optimisations: 20 August 2012
Stakeholder interactions and findings: 27 September 2012 (DPSA Provincial sector
meeting)
Stakeholder interactions and findings: 16 October 2012 (Stakeholders meeting in
eThekwini)
4.10.1.2 Contact persons in the Department included the following:
Home Affairs lead contact person: Mr Moloi (Director-General)
Home Affairs (data): Mr Shawn Griffin
Home Affairs (standards): Mr Shawn Griffin