Limpopo Residents Build Shacks Outside a Home Affairs Building While Waiting for the System to Come Back Online

LIMPOPO – What started as a quick ID renewal trip turned into a full-on construction project this January, as residents in Limpopo began building shacks outside the local Home Affairs office while patiently waiting for the system to “come back online.”

“I got here in 2019 just to collect my ID,” said Mpho Monyela, now the unofficial ward councillor of Shack Section D. “The queue was long, but not as long as the system’s downtime. At this point, I figured I might as well start a family and a life here.”

The scene outside the Home Affairs building now resembles a small township, complete with street names like “Queue Crescent,” “Offline Avenue,” and “404 Not Found Street.” Locals have opened tuck shops, spaza clinics, and even a small shebeen called “The Blue Screen Tavern.”