A Cape Town man who waited 13 years for an ID book has finally received it - thanks to Sowetan' s intervention.
A Cape Town man who waited 13 years for an ID book has finally received it - thanks to Sowetan' s intervention.
Sowetan published the story last month of Sivuyile Patrick Myathaza, who first applied for an ID book in 1997.
He finally received it yesterday from the Home Affairs office in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Myathaza, 34, had been given five ID books with the wrong birth date since he first applied
His greatest worry when he spoke to Sowetan last month was that his ID number and the number on his matric certificate did not correlate.
As a result the fourth-year nursing science student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) had been told by the university to sort out the problem with Home Affairs before November or he would not get his degree.
Pretoria-based Home Affairs official Benjamin Khoza intervened after Myathaza's story was published and within weeks the correct ID book was issued.
An excited Myathaza said he was "going to UWC's admission office right away to sort out his ID particulars".
He said he was also going to marry his wife legally since Home Affairs had told him to sort out the ID problem before they could register his marriage.
"The next step will be to register my son in my surname."
He thanked Sowetan and Khoza, who was able to sort out a problem that lasted more than a decade within a few days.
Man gets ID after 13 years
A Cape Town man who waited 13 years for an ID book has finally received it - thanks to Sowetan' s intervention.
A Cape Town man who waited 13 years for an ID book has finally received it - thanks to Sowetan' s intervention.
Sowetan published the story last month of Sivuyile Patrick Myathaza, who first applied for an ID book in 1997.
He finally received it yesterday from the Home Affairs office in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Myathaza, 34, had been given five ID books with the wrong birth date since he first applied
His greatest worry when he spoke to Sowetan last month was that his ID number and the number on his matric certificate did not correlate.
As a result the fourth-year nursing science student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) had been told by the university to sort out the problem with Home Affairs before November or he would not get his degree.
Pretoria-based Home Affairs official Benjamin Khoza intervened after Myathaza's story was published and within weeks the correct ID book was issued.
An excited Myathaza said he was "going to UWC's admission office right away to sort out his ID particulars".
He said he was also going to marry his wife legally since Home Affairs had told him to sort out the ID problem before they could register his marriage.
"The next step will be to register my son in my surname."
He thanked Sowetan and Khoza, who was able to sort out a problem that lasted more than a decade within a few days.
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