As thousands of Umkhanyakude residents will be casting their votes on Monday, two elders from the Emkhonjeni area under Jozini, in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal, will not cast their votes as they don’t have identity documents.
62-year-old Nsizwa Gama and 60-year-old Thabisile Sibiya never had identity documents since they were born and have never voted. They say their parents died when they were young and they have no relatives that could help them to get identity documents.
Sibiya says none of her 10 children have supporting documents and she will not vote on Monday.
The Emkhonjeni area is almost 10 kilometres from the rural town of Jozini under the Umkhanyakude district in the far north of KwaZulu-Natal.
The area is poor and people are unemployed due to various challenges. Nsizwa Gama doesn’t have an identity document. His five children also don’t have supporting documents. He says it is painful as he wants to vote but cannot.
“Yes, I can confirm that I don’t have an ID and I never had it before. It is true that I never voted in any election in South Africa. It is painful because I never get any assistance from the govt and I am not counted as a South African as I don’t have an ID. I have lost many things and benefits such as food parcels and electricity.”
Thabisile Sibiya is another Emkhonjeni resident who also does not have an identity document. She says even her 10 children do not have supporting documents and she will not vote.
“It is true that I don’t have an ID and I never touch it with my hands as I don’t have someone who could take the ID. My ten children don’t have supporting documents. They don’t get grants and they don’t have supporting documents. Tomorrow people will be going to cast their votes but I will not as I was born like this.”
Velaphi Ncube from the same area also does not have identity documents as his parents abandoned him when he was five years old. He says he does not participate in any decision-making processes as he can’t vote.
“The reason why I don’t have an ID is because my parents left me to the late Buyi Xaba and I have been living with her all these years. I was four years when my parents left me with her. I am writing my examination but I don’t have an ID, and everything is falling apart. I want to vote but I don’t have an ID and everything is falling apart and I can’t progress.”
Mphumuzi Ngema, Ncube’s neighbour has a similar challenge. “I’m supposed to have an identity document and I used to get a child support grant but now I can’t get an ID. I don’t know what is wrong with me as my siblings have all documents and it is disturbing as I can’t do anything due to the ID. I don’t know what to do.”
