{
  "id": 17284707,
  "title": "Home Affairs to extend hours on election day",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/30/home-affairs-to-extend-hours-on-election-day",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-30T19:20:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/home-affairs-to-extend-hours-on-election-day/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Home Affairs Department has announced that its offices will remain open for longer hours on election day to help voters obtain identity documents or apply for temporary identity certificates. The new hours, from 7am to 9pm, will be in effect from 2-4 November 2026, during the Local Government Elections. Citizens can now walk into any Home Affairs office without needing to make an online booking. The extended hours aim to assist those who have lost or misplaced their IDs, ensuring they can still vote. Deputy Director-General Thulani Mavuso stated that the Department will be open on the fourth of November to assist individuals needing temporary identity certificates or replacements for lost documents.",
  "summary": "Walk-ins will be allowed, meaning citizens do not need to make the usual online bookings.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}