A former prisoner who has turned his life around for the better and who has never owned an identity document (ID) is at his wits end after waiting for more than 20 years for the matter to be resolved.

In a last attempt for success, Dawood Abrahams, 41, approached the Cape Argus on Tuesday after visiting several Home Affairs offices in Cape Town, together with his wife, Aqeela Linnert.

The couple from Sea Winds are married according to Islamic law.

Abrahams said due to being incarcerated, he was never able to obtain an ID and claimed he made various applications over the years and even did DNA tests to prove that he was a South African citizen.

He said he submitted fingerprints on numerous occasions, including the identification documents belonging to his parents.

“When I was a small child, my birth certificate was lost,” he said.

“I became involved with the wrong things in life and I was naughty and I was sent to prison.”

In his twenties, Abrahams said he tried to obtain an ID but ended-up behind bars again before he could collect his new document.

“I made an application while being around 27 or 28 years old and my parents took me to the Wynberg branch.

“I was imprisoned again and when I came out after about three years I decided to find out what happened with my ID.

“But I was told that they destroyed the ID and that I need to make a new application.”

In 2016, he was referred to Cape Town’s branch where he said he made another application and even provided a sample of his blood for DNA testing.

“I was referred to Immigration and told to take forms home with me and to provide blood DNA to show that they are my parents.”

But he claims he was once again left disappointed after he was told he could not be in possession of state documentation at home.

“Those documents were destroyed and I was told I had to make a new application and this person helped me by giving me a new birth certificate.

“But I have been waiting since then for a new ID.”

His wife said it made their lives hard financially as he was unable to find employment.

“He is a father and he is unable to work,” she said.

“We asked for the information on the system to be provided to us because we want to know why it is taking so long.

“We told them we are going to go to the newspaper.”

Siyabulela Qoza of the Department of Home Affairs said they would have to query internally before providing comment publicly on the case and asked for personal information of Abrahams to be provided in order to determine what happened.

Cape Argus

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