After more than two decades of living as a “non-person” in her own country, 76-year-old Sarah Mmaditaba Mokoena is finally on the verge of reclaiming her identity.
Once told she had died and blocked from accessing basic services, Mokoena’s long fight to replace her lost ID is coming to an end, a milestone that will allow her to finally receive her SASSA grant and regain the dignity she was denied for more than 20 years.
Mmaditaba Mokoena, from the village of Mabokola outside Brits in North West, lost her ID in the early 2000s.
After struggling with administrative challenges in North West, she finally managed to secure help in Gauteng.
With the support of the Forum for South Africa (FOSA), it has been confirmed with the Saturday Star that she now awaits the completion of her smart ID.
“I am so very happy, the joy that I have today. After you guys leave here today, I am going to have deep sleep for the first time. I can finally sleep peacefully without being scared of the sound of the cars outside,” Mmaditaba Mokoena said.
“I am so happy. I cannot express how happy I am. I can even make everyone laugh,” she added, expressing her gratitude.
While this marks a turning point for Mmaditaba Mokoena, FOSA has criticized the administrative failures that kept her from accessing her rights for over two decades, calling for urgent reforms to prevent similar injustices.
“FOSA leadership has successfully assisted Gogo Mokoena, who has been trying to replace her identity document since the early 2000s. Despite numerous attempts, including seeking help from social workers and counsellors, she was repeatedly turned away and shockingly informed by Home Affairs officials that she had ‘passed on,’” said FOSA spokesperson Tebogo Mashilompane.
Mmaditaba Mokoena’s case is not isolated. Since assisting her, Mashilompane says more citizens have reported similar injustices, from parents unable to register their children to young learners barred from attending school due to missing identity documents.
“FOSA believes that these failures amount to a violation of human rights, and we call on the Department of Home Affairs to urgently review its systems and address the widespread administrative errors affecting vulnerable communities. We will continue to stand with the people, fight for those silenced by bureaucracy, and ensure that every citizen receives the recognition and dignity they deserve,” Mashilompane added.
Oliver Meth, head of communications at the human rights organisation Black Sash, also expressed concern highlighting that elderly people often struggle to resolve resolve identity documentation issues.
“Cases like that of Ms Mokoena are unfortunately not isolated. Every year, we encounter many people, particularly older persons and those living in poverty, who struggle to resolve identity documentation issues due to systemic backlogs, misclassification, or wrongful ‘deceased’ statuses.”
“Without a valid ID, people are effectively erased from the state system, leaving them unable to access grants, healthcare, social services, or even exercise basic rights. This is a violation of dignity and a failure of the administrative justice they are entitled to.”
Black Sash assists individuals through its Community-Based Monitoring programme and paralegal support to escalate cases with Home Affairs, secure affidavits, correct wrongful statuses, and navigate appeals and verification processes.
“But no one should have to fight for years to reclaim their legal identity,” Meth said.
“We urge the Department of Home Affairs to strengthen its administrative systems, improve turnaround times, and proactively resolve erroneous ‘deceased’ listings so that no one is left in limbo. Identity is a lifeline, and protecting it must be treated as a matter of urgency.”
The Saturday Star reached out to SASSA for comment on the procedures in place to assist older persons temporarily unable to access social grants due to lost or delayed identity documents.
SASSA spokesperson Andile Tshona said: “The Social Assistance Act and its related regulations enable SASSA to assist social grants applicants when they come to a SASSA Office whether they have a form of identity or not. When a client gets to a SASSA Office without a form of identity, SASSA creates an identity called quad 7, to assist a client until they receive a form of identification from the Department of Home Affairs.”
Regarding steps to ensure her grant is reinstated as soon as possible, Tshona said, “In line with the Social Assistance Act, SASSA can lapse a social grant if the beneficiary no longer qualifies and reinstate a grant where there are definite reasons to do so. These reasons vary from individual cases.”
On whether Mmaditaba Mokoena would be given back pay, the department said:
“The matter is being investigated to get to the merits and demerits of the issue, therefore we cannot make a conclusive determination until SASSA concludes its investigation.”
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za
Saturday Star