Zinhle Mapumulo
Zinhle Mapumulo
Gaopalelwe Mohadi will not further her studies next year.
The 19-year-old of Meadowlands in Soweto wants to enrol at a university but cannot do so because she does not have an identity document.
Mohadi's woes started in 2006 when she applied for an ID. She discovered that an older woman with the same name, surname, and day and month of birth had been issued with an ID. The woman is from Germiston on the East Rand.
"At first I thought the Department of Home Affairs made a mistake," said Mohadi.
"It just seemed impossible. This mistake is ruining my life.
"I wanted to enrol for an international travel degree at university this year but I could not register without an ID. It hurt me because my friends are furthering their studies," she said.
For two years Mohadi has been sent from pillar to post by home affairs. Every time she goes to their office, she is told to bring documents to prove that she is indeed the real Mohadi.
Mohadi's mother, Mildred, said all the documents, including a letter from the clinic where her daughter was born, were given to officials in September last year.
"They promised that, after submitting these documents, Mohadi would get an ID. Today my daughter is still waiting.
"My child is a clever child with a bright future but the way things are going, that future might not be so bright," she said.
Joseph Mohajane of Home Affairs said: "This is a very uncommon and complicated matter. More often we deal with ID duplicates. We have asked our core business to get to the bottom of the matter and investigate what might have happened."
ID HALTS HER STUDIES
Zinhle Mapumulo
Zinhle Mapumulo
Gaopalelwe Mohadi will not further her studies next year.
The 19-year-old of Meadowlands in Soweto wants to enrol at a university but cannot do so because she does not have an identity document.
Mohadi's woes started in 2006 when she applied for an ID. She discovered that an older woman with the same name, surname, and day and month of birth had been issued with an ID. The woman is from Germiston on the East Rand.
"At first I thought the Department of Home Affairs made a mistake," said Mohadi.
"It just seemed impossible. This mistake is ruining my life.
"I wanted to enrol for an international travel degree at university this year but I could not register without an ID. It hurt me because my friends are furthering their studies," she said.
For two years Mohadi has been sent from pillar to post by home affairs. Every time she goes to their office, she is told to bring documents to prove that she is indeed the real Mohadi.
Mohadi's mother, Mildred, said all the documents, including a letter from the clinic where her daughter was born, were given to officials in September last year.
"They promised that, after submitting these documents, Mohadi would get an ID. Today my daughter is still waiting.
"My child is a clever child with a bright future but the way things are going, that future might not be so bright," she said.
Joseph Mohajane of Home Affairs said: "This is a very uncommon and complicated matter. More often we deal with ID duplicates. We have asked our core business to get to the bottom of the matter and investigate what might have happened."
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