In the wake of yet another controversy about the alleged on-going inefficiency by the Home Affairs Department, two young women with similar names and surnames, cousins from different settlements under the Makhado Municipality, are sharing the same identity number.

Susan Mulalo Ramurembiwa from Madombidzha, west of Louis Trichardt, was born on October 10, 1977, while her cousin, who is also known as Susan Mulalo Ramurembiwa, from Vleifontein, was born on October 1, 1977. Both have the ID number 771001 0510 086.

The two cousins´ horror came to light when Ramurembiwa from Madombidzha went to a Furniture store in Louis Trichardt to open an account and told that she was in arrears, as if she had an existing account at the store. Her thorough investigation led her to discover that the account in arrears belongs to her cousin from Vleifontein.

To clear her name, Ramurembiwa from Madombidzha approached and requested her cousin to visit the Home Affairs Department in Louis Trichardt to rectify the mistake. According to the two ladies, at their local Home Affairs Department, they were told to pay R200 for the mistake to be rectified. "We were unable to raise the money, because we are both unemployed," said the frustrated cousins. Ramurembiwa from Madombidzha said that she does not understand how Home Affairs erroneously gave her cousin her identity number, while she was the first one to apply for an identity document in 1996.

"We see no reason to pay the required amount because I am not the one who made the mistake. We expect the department to correct its mistake free of charge," said the two women.

When contacted to respond about the matter in recent weeks, Mr Sam Moremi from the communication unit at the Department of Home Affairs in Limpopo Province promised to investigate the matter.