Woman receives ID after 12-year wait

A Mpumalanga woman is celebrating after receiving her ID she had been waiting for the past 12 years.

Mpho Maphosa from Masoyi outside White River was registered as a male on the home affairs system, which negatively affected her child as her ID application requests were declined.

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No home affairs offices help with ID

Maphosa’s struggle to correct the error with her ID started in 2012 when she visited several home affairs offices in vain.

Her ID card was issued on Wednesday after The Citizen published her story last week.

In an interview yesterday, Maphosa thanked the journalists and the home affairs officials who attended to her matter and handled it professionally.

“Yes, I finally received my new ID card. It has been a long journey but finally, I got it. The new ID states that I am a woman.

“I am so happy because I am going to start a new life as the previous document was limiting me.

“Even at work, I will now be registered. After receiving my document on Wednesday, I applied for an unabridged birth certificate which will enable the system to link me and my child so that she can get her ID.

“She was always stressed because she is 21 and doesn’t have an ID,” said Maphosa.

Since her daughter completed Grade 12 three years ago, she could not further her studies because of the ID issue.

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Daughter will soon be able to register for law degree

Even though Maphosa was not happy about the home affairs officials who delayed the process for over a decade, she appreciated those who assisted her until she got her ID.

She has advised those who have similar problems to keep fighting until things are done right.

Her daughter, Nomfundo Maphosa, is happy that she will now be able to get her ID, which would enable her to register for a law degree that she could have commenced at Tshwane University of Technology three years ago.

“Not having an ID was giving me sleepless nights as I was thinking that my peers were progressing with their lives while mine was on hold,” said Nomfundo Maphosa.

Home affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza said: “People with similar challenges are invited to visit a home affairs office nearest to them for a resolution.”

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