The short answer
You should get a lawyer to take on Home Affairs.
The whole question
Dear Athalie
What can I do to get Home Affairs (DHA) to assist my sister to get an ID document? When I accompanied her to Home Affairs in Newcastle in 2019 at the age of 16 to apply for her ID, the birth certificate they printed out was an abridged one with an incorrect surname and the incorrect ID number on it. Home Affairs said she should come back with an affidavit, a copy of her parents’ IDs and a copy of her birth certificate, and said they would call us back after three months. However, this did not happen. We have been in contact with the DHA every three months thereafter, and they have done nothing but give a number that we should call to get an update, which has not materialised.
The long answer
It is disgraceful that your sister has been trying for over three years to get the DHA to assist her to acquire her ID. I think that the DHA might only be pushed into performing their constitutionally mandated duties if a more powerful voice engages them on your sister’s behalf: you and your sister could approach one of the following organisations which have many years of experience in dealing with Home Affairs, and if your mother can throw some light on the matter, she should add her voice too.
These are their contact details:
Durban: 031 301 0531
Email: info@lhr.org.za
Address: Room S104, Diakonia Centre
20th Diakonia Avenue (formerly St. Andrews Street)
Durban
Email:info@lrc.org.za
Johannesburg: 011 836 9831
Cape Town: 021 481 3000
Wishing you the best,
Athalie
Answered on July 9, 2023, 11:14 p.m.
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