400% surge in identity theft

Consequences: Blacklisted because of fraudsters and fired because her ID was lost

- Masoka Dube

Identity theft cases are on the rise in the country, leaving victims in limbo with no paperwork to identify themselves. One of the victims is Zabe Shingange from Nkowankowa in Tzaneen, Limpopo, who said her life was put on hold for five years after her identity document (ID) was stolen.

Shingange said her ID went missing after she booked into a hotel in Boksburg north, Gauteng in 2007.

“I lost my ID when I was in Gauteng for an interview with one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies. I couldn’t find it after I left the hotel for a walk and then I reported it stolen. My interview was successful and I began working,” Shingange said.

Her ID was blocked due to the ongoing investigation by police and the department of home affairs.

Shingange was fired six months later after she could not provide a valid ID to her employers.

“During that long investigation, I was like a dead person because I could not do anything without documentation. I was blacklisted because the person who stole my identity bought things and failed to pay,” she said.

“The theft of my identity will continue to affect me as long as I am alive. I think the police and the department of home affairs are not doing enough to fight this kind of crime.”