ALBERTINA Lethiwe’s only wish is for the Home Affairs Department to process her application for a new identity book, which she applied for in 2012.
Lethiwe’s employer, Sharon Peckham, who has been assisting her, says they have been sent from pillar to post and the poor service they have received thus far has contributed to their lack of faith in the Pinetown Home Affairs Department.
According to Peckham, her employee decided to apply for a new ID book as the digits in her date of birth details were incorrect on the initial document. After applying for the ID at the beginning of 2012, Lethiwe was requested to have various tests and interviews conducted to establish her real age.
Peckham, who said this process has consumed a lot of time and money, added, “Her initial ID book states that she is 54. But following a meeting with her siblings, which was one of the requirements by the Home Affairs Department, she is 65 years old. Albertina was also required to undergo a bone density test and a medical examination by a district surgeon to try and figure out her right age.
“We are continuously following up on her application but we receive no joy. During this time she was asked to refill the documentation to be processed. Recently, we were told that her application is in the last step of being processed and issued. To this day, this has not materialised.
“This is becoming a nightmare and she can’t claim for her pension because she does not have her ID book to prove her age. If the process to obtain a new ID book took this long, I’m afraid to think of how long it’s going to take for her to apply for her pension.”
Numerous attempts to obtain comment from the Pinetown Home Affairs Department proved unsuccessful by the time of going to print.
