In yet another controversy concerning the Department of Home Affairs, an old man was told that the identity document he was using belonged to a dead person.

Much to his dismay, Wilson Mafemane of Bungeni Village was told by officials from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) that his pension grant could not be processed because the identity document he was using belonged to somebody who had died a long time ago.

Mr Mafemane (64) visited the SASSA offices in January 2008 to apply for a pension grant. Everything went well until the officials told him that he had to consult with the Department of Home Affairs as his ID belonged to a dead person.

“I was told that the money could not be given to me until I solved the ID problem with Home Affairs,” he said.

He said that when he contacted Home Affairs, the officials at the Elim branch agreed that it was true that his ID belonged to a Doornfontein resident who had passed away ten years ago in Johannesburg.

“I am not dead and, like every elderly South African, I am entitled to receive a social grant. It has been two years now that I have been sent from pillar to post, while my problem is not being solved,” complained Mafemane. He contacted Mirror for assistance after realising that the department was not taking his problem seriously.

Mafemane, a father of five children, is now struggling without food or any money to take care of his family.

According to the Department of Home Affairs, both his name and surname, including the ID number, are the same as the man who is said to have passed away in Johannesburg.

The spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs in Limpopo, Mr Sam Moremi, was contacted several times for comment, but could not be reached. His phone kept on ringing without being answered.

Anyone who can assist Mafemane can contact him at 076 4338 160 or 083 5313 027.