A staggering 403 identity documents belonging to Dundee residents are left unclaimed in the storeroom of Home Affairs, some from as long as one year back.
District Office Manager Thokozani Makhubu said that despite numerous attempts made to urge residents to collect their ID books, they continue to pile up at Home Affairs.
But the problem isn’t limited to Dundee alone.
There are 713 ID books belonging to Msinga residents, 687 belonging to Greytown residents and 646 belonging to Nquthu residents unclaimed at the department.
ID books for residents from Glencoe, Dannhauser, Wasbank, Pomeroy, Nyanyadu and other areas are also unclaimed. Mr Makhubu encouraged residents to pick up their IDs before the last voter registration weekend on February 8 and 9. The department has tried many methods to contact people to pick up their ID books.
SMS notifications don’t always work as many people change their numbers or have their cellphones stolen. Lists were then sent to all the War Rooms in the district with names of the people whose IDs are unclaimed, but the process has proved slow.
In an attempt to assist with voter registration and ensure that everyone has their ID book to be able to register, the department will make the ID books for each district available to the relevant voting stations so that people can still claim their IDs and register.
The Home Affairs offices will also be open on Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 9pm to assist all those who need help.
With a mounting pile of identity documents continuing to grow, Home Affairs are hoping that many people come to claim their little green books.