Public Service Commission helps siblings get their IDs
The orphaned siblings struggled to get their identity documents until the PSC stepped in to assist.
Nkosinathi Mkhwebani, elder brother to Thembi and Zanele Mkhwebani, breathed a sigh of relief as the orphaned trio received their ID documents at the Brakpan Home Affairs on October 9 after five years of fruitless trips to the Home Affairs Department.
The breakthrough comes following an intervention by the Public Service Commission (PSC).
The trio, aged 21, 19 and 18, lost their parents while they were minors and were since fostered by three different legal guardians all of whom passed away, making it difficult for them to get identity documents.
The cracks of being without an ID started to show when Nkosinathi completed matric in 2021 and his life came to a total stop.
“I realised that I am not recognised as South African. I can’t go to university. I can’t get a job, my life came to a grinding halt,” Nkosinathi explained.
“For five years, social workers in Tsakani tried to help me without success and I realised that my sisters were heading towards the same fate as they are currently in Grade 11 and 12 respectively.
“In August we learnt about the work of the PSC and we contacted them for help.”
The PSC met with the social workers and Brakpan Home Affairs senior officials on August 22 in a meeting that facilitated the ID application for siblings.
Within four weeks, the IDs of Nkosinathi and Zanele were issued. Thembi’s unabridged certificate was also issued in the same period, and she successfully applied for an ID.
Commissioner Nancy Ngwenya visited Brakpan Home Affairs to witness the issuing of the IDs and to extend the commission’s gratitude for the sterling work that the Brakpan Home Affairs branch exhibited throughout the process to end the Mkhwebane’s ordeal.
“We would like to express our appreciation to Brakpan Home Affairs. Our appreciation goes to the acting manager Rozanna Chetty and supervisor Dudu Mbatha,” said Ngwenya.
“We are very happy to have officials of your calibre. We are very proud to say you have displayed Batho Pele principles.
“One of our mandate as the PSC is to exercise oversight over Public Service, to ensure that public servants comply with the constitutional values and principles as enshrined in Chapter 10 of the Constitution on section 195 (1).
“One of the principles is that you must be responsive and we can tell that in this case you have indeed been responsive.”
Nkosinathi also expressed appreciation to the PSC.
“As a family, we would like to thank the PSC for the great work of assisting us. What you have done to us, please continue to do it for other people as well,” he said.
The trio is now based in KwaZulu-Natal and they returned back to the province enabled to fulfil their dreams.
