Since the UK realised our stumbling department of home affairs did not know how to issue its citizens with secure passports and that half of the rest of Africa started entering the UK with false SA passports, we are suffering. Now it costs a fortune to get a UK visitor visa even if your buddy only want to be here for half a day on his way to Paris.
But let’s hope the fact that they are starting to sort out the ID docs will also mean our new SA passports will become more secure so the Pommies can consider relaxing the their visa rules again.
Later this week the department of home affairs will publish the names of those affected by duplicate IDs in some national newspapers. I have personally met at least one person here in London who was taken into custody for armed robbery on entering OR Tambo earlier this year because some crook had his ID number. The drama he went through to get that sorted can make for a long book. So it’s high time our beloved Home Affairs Minister Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma gets her dodgy act and department in order.
It might be worth your while to get hold of the list published this week. I suppose it will be available online and if you do see your name or ID, you will need to contact Home Affairs – so good luck, that in itself could be a nightmare.
You could also try a new SMS service to check your ID status. Send a SMS with the letter “D” followed by your ID number to 32551 in SA. You should – theoretically – then receive a response informing you if a brother from another mother is using your ID to cause some form a mayhem in SA.
GO TO: www.home-affairs.gov.za and click on the banner on the home page
