South Africans trying to reach the Department of Home Affairs by phone may be struggling to get through, despite official contact numbers remaining active.

According to MyBroadband, repeated calls to the department’s customer contact centre and headquarters went unanswered during normal office hours.

The publication tested 0800 601 190 and 012 406 2500. Home Affairs still lists both numbers as official contact channels.

Official Numbers Still Listed

The Department of Home Affairs lists 0800 601 190 as its main contact centre number and 012 406 2500 for its Pretoria headquarters.

Its official website also states that Home Affairs offices generally operate from 08:00 to 15:30 on weekdays, with a 09:00 opening time on the last Wednesday of each month.

MyBroadband said its calls were made during the department’s listed operating hours.

The publication also tried numbers for individual offices using archived contact information, but reported that those lines appeared busy or inactive.

Home Affairs had not responded to MyBroadband’s questions by the time its report was published.

Contact Centre Problems Are Not New

Official records show that problems with Home Affairs’ contact centre have been raised before.

In a parliamentary statement, the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs said the contact centre was operating at just 54% of its capacity.

The committee warned that staff shortages were contributing to longer waiting times and public frustration.

It also called for an integrated contact centre system that could combine communication channels and improve service delivery.

Online Services Remain Available

Despite the reported phone difficulties, Home Affairs continues to provide digital channels for some services.

Its official eHomeAffairs platform still lists the contact centre email address, hacc@dha.gov.za, alongside its telephone numbers.

For now, MyBroadband’s testing suggests some callers may still struggle to reach the department by phone, while official records show the contact centre has faced capacity challenges for years.