Sowetan Online
Monday, November 20, 2006
Khanyisile Nkosi
Sibusiso Jele has waited patiently in long queues for five years for his identity document to be processed.
After submitting countless documents, including his birth certificate, affidavits, his parents' marriage certificate and copies of their IDs, Jele, 23, of Tshiawelo in Soweto, is still without an ID.
Every time he has gone to the offices of the Department of Home Affairs, to collect his ID book, he has been told that his ID was not ready.
On Friday Sowetan accompanied Jele to the department's offices in Johannesburg to check if there had been any progress.
At Home Affairs an official who attended to Jele said his ID had not yet arrived. as he scribbled a number on a piece of paper.
The official said he did not know the reason for the delay. The system showed that Jele's documents were sent to Pretoria in May this year.
"Call this number and ask them what's happening with your ID, but phone "Oh, and please call them between 7.30am and 9am. They don't answer the phone after nine," - I don't know why," the official said.
The official said he did not know the reason for the delay.
When Sowetan tried to phone the number it rang unanswered - as we had like we have been warned.
A despondent Jele said he was "getting tired" of visiting Home Affairs. "I don't know what to do anymore."
When contacted, Department of Home Affairs spokesman Jacky Mashapu promised to investigate the matter.
Mashapu appealed to the public to call their toll-free number, 0800-601190 with any inquiries.