By Rabbie Serumula
WE are accustomed to endless government queues and service complaints, it's rare to have a moment where bureaucracy impresses. But as I reflect on my recent experience with eHomeAffairs, I find myself offering praise.
It all began with an invitation. On December 17, I received notice of the Fourth Palestine International Forum for Media and Communication, or Tawasol 4 Conference. Its theme, The Palestinian Narrative: A New Era, struck a chord. Scheduled to be held in Istanbul, it was the kind of opportunity I couldn’t miss. But as the excitement settled, so did panic: my passport had expired, and the conference was set for 18-19 January 2025.
What followed was a test of efficiency. I applied online through eHomeAffairs, securing a slot at the Nedbank Lakeview branch in Constantia Kloof for 24 December. With the promise of a 7-to-14-day processing time, I knew it would be tight. Public holidays and weekends loomed large, threatening to tip the timeline into chaos.
But the Department of Home Affairs delivered. By January 9, my new passport was in hand—eight days from application. Compare this to the 24 days it takes via the manual system, and you see why the once-essential Temporary Passport is now a relic.
With my passport sorted, it took two hours to secure a Turkish eVisa. Yet, for all the efficiency of one service, another let me down. My local dry cleaners, Pressed in Time, turned out to be anything but. They failed to have my suit and blazers ready in their usual four days, forcing me to attend an international conference in Istanbul without a proper suit. Lesson learned: never put all your eggs—or blazers—in one basket.
But timing, as they say, is everything. The last day of the conference coincided with a ceasefire agreement in Gaza—a fragile silence in a region scarred by genocide, gripped by occupation, and suffocated under the weight of apartheid, where peace is not just elusive but deliberately denied.
In Istanbul, surrounded by media professionals and experts, a clarion call was issued: to shape the Palestinian narrative, to amplify voices often drowned out by genocide, by occupation, by apartheid.
It was a journey marked by perfect timing, despite the hiccups. It reaffirmed my belief that while coincidences may not exist, the universe has a way of aligning things. From efficient passports to suit-less flights, everything led me to that moment in Istanbul—a reminder that narratives, like journeys, can change course when least expected.
As I write this, I offer not just a nod to eHomeAffairs but a challenge to us all: to seize the moments where timing aligns and make them count. After all, whether it’s a passport or a narrative, what matters most is how we use the time we’re given.