Mom battles after Home Affairs bungle

A Home Affairs officer’s alleged mistake has left a woman struggling for the past two years to get birth certificates for her twins.

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Johannesburg - A Home Affairs official’s alleged mistake has left a woman struggling for the past two years to get birth certificates for her twins.

Nthabiseng Molefe, 26, from Katlehong, says she was repeatedly sent from pillar to post in her bid to obtain the documents for her children, who were born in March 2013.

She went to Home Affairs in Germiston when her twins were four months old. An official, who she identified as Eddie, helped her.

Minutes later, Eddie told her he had filled in the date of birth incorrectly.

“He told me to leave and that he would call me. But he never did,” Molefe said.

Five months later, Molefe went back to Home Affairs and was told there was another ID number of a baby younger than her twins and which was attached to her ID number.

“They said they could not process the twins’ certificates because of that and they would need to send that ID number to head office in Pretoria to cancel it,” she said.

Four months later, and the problem hadn’t been rectified. Molefe went back and asked to speak to the supervisor, Godfrey Mabusela.

She told him her story, and Eddie was called.

“Eddie said he didn’t know me. His colleague was surprised and asked him why he said that. Eddie then got angry and stormed out of the meeting. The supervisor assured me he would help.”

Months later, the problem still hadn’t been resolved.

Molefe was told to approach the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) with the incorrect ID in order to check whether anyone else was receiving a grant for that child.

The child was not on Sassa’s system and Molefe took the proof back to Home Affairs.

Later, when she went back again, she was told to return to Sassa because her documents had been lost at Home Affairs.

Again, Molefe went to Sassa, got the document she needed and resubmitted it to Home Affairs.

Still, officials couldn’t assist her, telling her that she had to bring more documents to prove she wasn’t a foreigner.

She got them and took them to Home Affairs, but no one was able to help.

“They told me that they don’t know what to do anymore and they can’t solve my case,” she said.

On Thursday, Molefe again returned to Home Affairs and was told to go back to Sassa to check whether anyone had been receiving a grant for that child because the documents she had previously provided had been lost again.

She was also told to get an affidavit from the police station, stating she has been struggling to get help for the past two years. The Star newspaper has seen both documents.

Molefe reckons she has gone to Home Affairs about 20 times in the past two years, spending R32 on a return trip each time. She said she doesn’t know what to do.

The father of her children died early this year, and the birth certificates could help her to get a child support grant.

Repeated attempts to get comment from Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete since August 24 were unsuccessful. He also didn’t respond to follow up e-mails and SMSes.

botho.molosankwe@inl.co.za

The Star