In yet another controversy at the Department of Home Affairs, a young woman, Itani Tryphosa Ngwana, is said to be a man.

Ngwana (22) has been taken from pillar to post by Home Affairs after the Identity document she had applied for in 2003 came back with her late father´s names on it.

Ngwana, a resident of Tshivhuyuni in the Mashamba area´s dreams of becoming an accountant had been shattered because institutions of higher learning could not admit her because the names on her matric certificate, which are her real names, do not correspond with the ones in her ID. This is irrespective of the fact that she passed her Grade 12 with flying colours in 2006. She has been struggling to get admission at university because of the problem.

Ngwana´s problems continue unsolved, although she visited Home Affairs´ offices many times. The department is unable to rectify this mistake. "I was shocked when I first received my ID with my father´s name on it. This is really affecting me a lot because wherever I go, people think I am a man," she said.

She said she has already spent a lot of money trying to solve her ID problem, but to no avail.

"I did all I can to solve this problem but nothing is happening. I don´t know what to do now. I was told to pay R85, which I paid at Home Affairs, so that the mistake which officials had made can be rectified but still my problems cannot be solved," said Ngwana.

Ngwana´s late father, Mr Thanyani Alpheus Ngwana, died in March 2000. The very same names on her father´s death certificate are now appearing on her ID. Now Ngwana is faced with another challenge. She cannot apply for a birth certificate for her two-year-old son because of the errors in her ID.

When contacted for comment on Tuesday, the national spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs, Mr Ronny Mamoepa, said the Limpopo provincial Department of Home Affairs should be contacted in this regard. The Limpopo provincial spokesperson, Mr Sam Moremi, was contacted several times, but his phone kept on ringing with no response.