Seven notes and Current Affairs. All right, that's kicked us off on our current affairs feature. But let's speak about what we are covering first in our current Affairs this evening, and it's an important story that's been covered by ground Up. Did you know that your id could be blocked for whatever reason? Many reasons that Home Affairs has decided, and they have been protests being held of people whose ideas
have been blocked. As a result, their lives have been brought to an abrupt pause, to a standstill, and they want that decision to be reversed. Ground Up has been looking at the story, covering not just the marches, but also this process by the Home Affairs Department. Silvas Via is a journalist at ground Up and he joins us in our lives. Good evening, Silver.
Thanks Homo to hear, thanks for having me, and good evening to your listeners.
Maybe let's just start with I mean, in your investigation, are you able to establish why the Home Office Department embarks under blocking of certain people's ideas?
One of Firs has been in the process of blocking a number of ideas for a number of years, from the nineties and the two thousands has been doing that, and they've been saying that they are looking at the facts that some of them could be used as duplicates one person during the same id others could be stolen and be used by other people, and some people married to other people that are not even aware of so, and this could lead to a lot of scams and
things like that. So this way, we're being investigated for this number of reasons. So this is the reason that they're taken so long to actually get these people to get their ideas being blogged.
Yeah, but the thing is that it seems Home Affairs has been doing this without informing people. In fact, some people will just be going about their lives and you try to open a bank accounts or use your idea for something, and you notified that it's invalid.
He is a number of people have been complaining about that, actually, saying that most of the times they've been thinking everything is normal until maybe they wanted to open a bank account like you said, or change up bring their green back cowarded IDA old ones and only to find out that not no longer allowed to register the new smart card ideas. And this has brought so much pain to them their lives. They have been have been not moving
for a number of years now. Spoke to some of the affected people across the country where the march, so they're all saying the same thing, that they can move forward to their lives. They can't find employment. Some children they can't even access education, higher education when they need to register the universities. Some they can't even register their companies. So it's a situation where they only rely on informal kind of employment. So, yeah, that there has been the situation.
Yeah, And I think the problem here isn't that it's you know, your eyea has been blocked and you must just go get it unblocked. It's the fact that the process of getting it unblocked is a literal nightmare.
No, yes, there is a nightmare. Some are saying that they've been doing it for a number of years, more than five ten years. One gentleman mentioned his name was He mentioned that since ninety eight his idea has been blocked and he was even deported out of the country. And then he had amberg because I mean, he says he's from here and Daviding, so the way he had
no business going away from the country. And then after that he tried to get the document and there has been stumbling block, and then this led to a number of court cases, then Praetorda where civic organizations tried to open the case actually and took the Department of from A First to court try to find remedies for this. And then the court rules in the last Dingy generary that is going to give twelve months to the Department
of from A First to unblock these ideas. But the response from the Department that has been saying that it takes time. They need to make sure that they follow the right process. They don't want to unblock the wrong documents. At the time when it went to court, the number was sitting at around seven hundred thousands of people who were where the ID documents blocked.
And how many of them you don't have been successful in getting it unblocked? Is it many?
Yes? At the time the Department said the total number was one point eight a million, so around in military was sitting at seven hundred thousand. It was taken to court, so it looks like there's some movements, but seven number is still a big number that affects a lot of people because cern undred is only those who are directly affected and the children if you find the number is quite higher.
And what are some of the results and the effects of having a blocked idea.
Yeah, like I said, you find people are struggling to get even grants, those three hundred and fifty grants those who are unemployed. And because we know a sut Africa is higher employment rate, millions of people are alying on those grants, but they find they can't even access them. Some they don't even get an opportunity to put treat the food in the university because of this. So it's
quite a number of reasons. Some that even when they try to access health facilities unable to because they're being told we don't know you, who are you. Some of they were even sent back to their primary schools to prove that indeed they are sort Afflican cities and so they did that, followed all those processes because the way they're spirit get the documents unblocked, but still years late, they remain with no idea that they can use.
And what has been the response from home a SAE. I mean, it seems as though they've been and tell me if I'm reading this wrong, but it seems as though that officials have been rather lax in speeding the process up, particularly for people whose lives are being affected so severely.
Yes, the process has been slow. I mean this is why a lot of people are crying and complaining about that. Why is it taking so long? I mean during the match somewhere even saying that we're giving them seventy two hours to rectify this because all life has been spent still, but the department only said they were responding seven days give them a proper report. But going back to a
doctoral mutuality was the Minister form Affairs. They did say that there are a number of issues that people are being aware of, issues like Namibia or as part of South Africa during our path day, so there's still a number of people from that country who has still benefiting from South Africa and terms of saving a sort of can citizenship. At that time you said the number was about seven thousand, so they needed to transfer that kind
of transfer the citizenship to totally for under Namibia. So it was some of the issues that they highlighted at the time. But they're saying that they will go and need but people are saying that there's been too long. They need to get their lives, they go one track and.
Tell me if I'm wrong Silver, But you know, I'd imagine that when this happens to people and they need to live life as you say, they need to register for university, register for school, be able to write the metric exams, get a bank account. Some find themselves or end up resorting to you know, dodgy ways in order to sort this up. You know, have your investigations revealed any any people that have ended up, you know, going the route of bribery in order to sort their papers out.
He is there were allegations of that nature, saying some they paid around sixty five thousand from correct in terms of number around that figure to get those IDs and to get them to keep quiet so that they don't make noise anymore. So it was allegations. It's not something that we're able to prove, so it will take it as an allegation that is opening. But knowing that corruption is strife in that department, you can never rule that out because anything is possible.
And according to your article, so that how the High Court declared it unconstitutional for the department to block IDs without notice. What does that mean? Does that mean that well block ideas without notice. I should say that does that mean homo fakes can continue to block, but they must inform everyone.
So to tow us unconstitution to block at all. So but if there's a situation where they're investigating, at least they must inform them. But in this case many say they were never informed. This led to this frustration or surprise when they find out that the ideas were blocked. So this is what we're complaining about. And also the affects that children, they can't register the birth of their children.
But the court that at the times said that if any it's under investigation, the children shouldn't be affected at list, should be given citizenship or permanent residence and also get the ID numbers while their partents documents are still being investigated. So but this was never followed. So that's why the court rule this was unlawful.
And from the people that you spoke to, particularly at the march, I mean, I know that the perception oftentimes is with instances like this, you know, many of the people that are struggling are foreign nationals who are tried, who you know, have had ideas that were illegally awarded. But the people that you spoke to. Were maybe foreign nationals or was it a lot of South Africans or was it a mix.
From what I've picked up, some are locals, but some are foreign nationals, but all saying that they are locals. So it's ways maybe Department of Form Affairs can ever elect to stand on. But there's something that they need to clarify and be transparent about these kind of investigations because some I believe majority of them are locals who are being affected for no reason.
And it is the Department of Home Affairs saying they are going to be addressing this as app.
That's what they're saying. But the way it looks, the numbers still high, so it will take a little bit of time before it can be resolved.
Yeah, I was about to ask do they say when?
Yes, at the didn't give time when will they finish this process, but they could get them helved months which ended ality around February, So yes, they're already behind the schedule.
All right, thank you so much for the story. Service. Be a