ID bungle turns white man black
2008/02/08
THE Department of Home Affairs has turned a white Durban man black in a bungle that has left the 18-year old white man sporting the photo of a black man in his identity document.
All the details on Phillipus Grobler’s new identity document are correct, except his picture – which is of a black man.
Grobler’s mother told the Mercury newspaper that she was “a bit puzzled” when a postal worker asked her if her son was black.
“It is ridiculous. How can a mistake like this happen,” she asked.
Department spokesperson Jacky Mashapu apologised and said that the manual processing of the ID book had led to the mistake.
Because of the bungle Grobler cannot use his documentation to to enrol in his Grade 11 class.
What was not clear from the report was which black person, if any, had Grobler’s photo in his identity document. — Sapa
