Another ID terror story: wrong ID number
" My mother could not have given birth to us five months apart," explained Mr Gasa.
Life has not been kind to Osborn Mbuso Gasa. Now sickly and physically handicapped, Osborn – who lives in Avoca (also known as Craigside) – has suffered further misery because of Home Affairs incompetence.
He was raised in a foster home and because of this no one had his correct identification documents. He went through school without a birth certificate. Mr Gasa remembers that his foster mother first applied for his ID when he was at the care facility. He later received an ID when he left the foster home in 1979.
He said that “things became very difficult for me when I left foster care. I was taken in by my brother who told me that my mother had been arrested and was serving a 15-year jail sentence”.
“I am older than my brother who was born in December 1962, according to his ID. That is when I knew that the Department of Home Affairs had made a mistake with my birth date as it says I was born in July 1962. My mother could not have given birth to us five months apart,” explained Mr Gasa.
He says he never noticed anything wrong with his birth date until he met his brother.
Ever since then he has not been able to change his birth date as there are no records on the system of his correct date of birth besides the one on his ID.
Also read: Man has two I.D. books issued by Home Affairs
“I went to Durban Home Affairs to try and resolve this matter back in 1994 after I had lost my ID as I wanted to vote, but I could not resolve the wrong date,” said Mr Gasa, “My mother passed away before she could resolve this matter as well.”
Mr Gasa, who has an artificial eye due to an accident in the early 90s, is forced to get by on crutches after an operation on his lower back which left both his legs semi-paralysed. “I used to receive a grant as I am diabetic, HIV positive and suffer from high blood pressure and arthritis. However, the grant was cut last year and my attempts to have it renewed have failed. Because of my age, I cannot get a job,” he cried.
Also read: Five year ID terror ordeal after accidentally washed his pants AND …
“I was advised by the head office of SASSA in Pietermaritzburg to ask my councillor to write a letter to my local SASSA office to apply for food vouchers. This is yet to happen and I am now forced to beg for food. People say I am lying I get pension money,” he said.
He has since applied for a SASSA voucher but is not sure when he will receive it or if it will be a one-off or a continuous handout.
