It sounds like something out of the movies, but for Hendrick van Niekerk, of Primrose, it is very much a reality.
In 2012, when Hennie, as he is known, went to open an account at a local bank, the teller informed him that there was something very wrong, “She turned her screen so that I could see it and there, in black and white, it stated I was deceased.
“I asked her: ‘Do I look dead to you?’” said Hennie.
After some digging, he discovered that 18 months after receiving his new identity document (ID) in 2004, another man, from Paarl, had received the same ID, same name and same ID number. All that was different was the photo.
“I have no idea how he got my ID book,” Hennie, now a pensioner, said.
The Paarl man had died and a death certificate was issued to the ID number, which meant, according to home affairs, Hennie was dead.
“I began writing to everyone I could think of, from ministers of home affairs to presidents, including former president Nelson Mandela.
“Though I did not receive a reply to all the letters, I received a letter from Mandela asking me to forgive him, and to assure me that he was trying his best to help.
“It seemed he was hitting as many brick walls as I was trying to sort the problem out,” he said.
Hennie further claimed that no matter how many times he goes into the home affairs offices in Benoni, where he was told to go to handle the issue, no one can give him answers.
“They keep telling me that they are still investigating.
“But how can it take this long to investigate?” he said desperately.
Though Hennie and his family try to stay positive and handle the situation as best they can, making light of the situation through jokes, it is no laughing matter.
“I don’t believe in being a negative person, it will not do me any good to sit at home and be depressed about the situation,” he said.
However, despite his best efforts, some situations still upset him.
One such situation came when he suddenly stopped getting his pension from his former employer.
“I worked at the company for 23 years and when I retired I began to receive a pension.
“One month, however, my pension was late.
“I waited a few days and realised that it wasn’t coming so I called the woman who had always handled my pension to ask what was happening,” he explained.
When he said “hello” there was no reply so unsure if she had heard him or not he greeted her again.
“When she did answer she questioned why I was playing a bad joke.
“When I asked why, she explained that she had received all the paperwork claiming that I was dead and that she was currently working out a pay-out for my family,” he said while fighting back tears.
He told her to stop everything and explained the situation.
Hennie deals with daily struggles, related to the death notice that hangs over his head, and cannot open accounts of any kind.
And though he tries not to let these worry him, he does worry about his family’s future.
“What if I do die?
“How will my family claim any of the pay-outs on my policy or move the house out of my name?
“They will be left with nothing,” he said emotionally.
The GCN sent a query to home affairs in an attempt to get some clarity on the situation, however, despite receiving confirmation that they received the email, no comment was received.
The GCN continues to seek comment on the matter.
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