Living in any country without an identity document is a nightmare and the Letele family are living proof of this. Their ordeal started 50 years ago when Nthabiseng Letele (71) failed to organised a birth certificate for her daughter, Mamohau Letele (50).
Nthabiseng gave birth to Mamohau in the rural Ficksburg in the Free State before relocating to Dobsonville. According to Nthabiseng, that was the beginning of the challenge of getting a birth certificate issued to her daughter.
The Leteles have knocked on several doors to receive assistance. According to them, they have been to the Department of Home Affairs offices and the police station to seek help, without success.
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Mamohau predicament worsened when it filtered through to her two children Matshidiso (29) and Sonia Letele (10).
“Matshidiso doesn’t have an identity document and she gave birth to two of my grandchildren Naledi (11) and Lucas Letele (7), who also do not have birth certificates.
“If Home Affairs could give me my identity document I will be able to help organise identity documents for my children as well. Only then, Matshidiso could get her two children their birth certificates as well,” said Mamohau.
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Since the dawn of democracy, Matshidiso has never had the opportunity to exercise her right to vote due to her mother’s inability to arrange for her to have an Identity Document.
As a result of this, she was forced to leave her employment because having an Identity Document was a legal requirement.
“There is no one who is working here at home, we all depend solely on my mother’s monthly social grant to survive. If God could take away my mother one day, we would not have a means of survival.
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“Neither of my grandchildren and my young daughter are social grant recipients. My elder daughter is also bedridden and doesn’t get a social grant, which put a strain on the little social grant monies my mother receives,” said Mamohau.
Attempts by the Dobsonville Urban News reporter to get a comment from the Department of Home Affairs was unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
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