Home affairs denies Amushelelo’s ‘baseless’ complaint

The home affairs ministry has condemned political activist Michael Amushelelo for his “defamatory” claims about one of its staff members on social media.

This comes after Amushelelo slammed a Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security staff member for briefly using a cellphone while attending to public duties.

In a public statement issued on Tuesday, ministry executive director Etienne Maritz said staff members often need to use their cellphones for work-related purposes.

He said these activities include returning clients’ calls, providing updates on document collections, consulting with colleagues, and even receiving electronic documents from clients in remote areas.

Maritz said Amushelelo’s recent social media post complaining about this misrepresented the reality of public service work.

“To single out and condemn staff members for performing such necessary tasks is not only unfair, but also irresponsible,” Maritz said.

The ministry said its employees have personal responsibilities and it is unreasonable to expect them to work without any personal engagement.

“In the fast-paced, interconnected world we live in, cellphones are an essential tool for maintaining communication, and their use, when necessary and for work-related matters, is entirely appropriate,” Maritz said.

He rejected any attempt to defame the ministry’s staff or undermine the services they provide to the public.

Maritz said while the ministry acknowledges the challenges of delivering efficient public services, attacking the professionalism of its employees through what he described as “distorted and sensationalised social media posts” does not serve public interest.

“We urge the public not to accept such unverified claims at face value. Instead, we encourage everyone to engage directly with the ministry through our public relations section, utilise our online feedback form, or visit any of our offices across the country to make suggestions or voice concerns,” he said.