Tilo Setlhare

Tilo Setlhare

Amos Mabena, the pensioner whose ID was fraudulently used in a buying spree that included an application for a loan and a credit card, will now accept a different one from Home Affairs.

Home Affairs explained that they had to blacklist Mabena's original ID number because it had been used in fraudulent transactions.

Violet Mofokeng of Home Affairs in Randfontein, informed Mabena that his original ID number would no longer be in use.

Reluctantly, Mabena has accepted his ID change.

"I have a family and need to change important documents such as my bank account, marriage certificate, policies and a lot of other vital documents," he said. "What assurance do I have that I will not encounter problems with my new ID in future?" he asked.

However, Home Affairs official based at the Pretoria office, Angie Bodlo, said Mabena did not have to worry.

Mabena's nightmare started when he lost his ID book last year and applied for a new one at the Home Affairs office in Randfontein, where he lives.

But he was surprised when he was told by officials in Randfontein that he had to collect his new document from the Johannesburg office.

A fraudster had apparently laid his hands on the new ID and went on a spending spree.

The suspect, a Malawian, was arrested in December and is to make another appearance at the Polokwane magistrate's court in Limpopo.