WHEN the new smart card IDs were introduced, gogo Elina Sepoloane wanted to be one of the first people to have the ID card.
So in February last year she applied for one.
That’s when she found out that she is sharing her ID number with someone else.
She was also told that she couldn’t apply for a new ID because like many elderly people her thumbs no longer had prints, making it difficult for the application to be completed.
“I did not know I had a problem until I went to Soshanguve Home Affairs offices,” she said. “Now my life has turned upside down.”
Now she can no longer easily access her grant money. Every month she waits for Sassa officials to call her. Then she goes to the police station to make an affidavit so that Sassa can hand over her grant.
“I have been running up and down to different Home Affairs offices looking for help without any luck,” she said.
Home Affairs spokesman Thabo Mokgola said the matter will be investigated. “I will call Shoshanguve Home Affairs offices and investigate this matter,” he said.
