Hon Speaker, in the township of Zithobeni outside Bronkhorstspruit there have been eruptions of violence, partly because of the departments and officials not doing their jobs.
The Home Affairs officials in Cullinan did not assist a woman who was classified as a male to change her gender on her ID. Instead, she was told to go to the public hospital in Pretoria in order to get a doctor to examine her and verify her gender. The private hospital closer to her would require her to pay for such a process, and she did not even have the R72 needed to travel to Pretoria because she is unemployed.
In another case a 75-year-old grandmother who was taking care of a baby and her mentally disturbed son could not get access to her pension, child grant or disability grant because her ID stated that she was 45 years old. Now there are added costs of getting a DNA test to verify her age.
Because she does not have money, the department has failed this woman as well as the community. No mobile services have visited these areas and many people continue to suffer due to ... [Time expired.]