PENSIONER TO RECLAIM HER IDENTITY

20-year fight to replace lost ID ends for North West woman

- ANITA NKONKI

AFTER two decades of battling a lack of identity documentation, Sarah Mmaditaba Mokoena is finally poised to reclaim her identity. I Supplied

(Supplied)

AFTER more than two decades of living as a “nonperson” in her own country, 76-year-old Sarah Mmaditaba Mokoena is finally on the verge of reclaiming her identity.

Once told she had died and blocked from accessing basic services, Mokoena’s long fight to replace her lost ID is coming to an end, a milestone that will allow her to finally receive her SASSA grant and regain the dignity she was denied for more than 20 years.

Mokoena, from the village of Mabokola outside Brits in North West, lost her ID in the early 2000s.

After struggling with administrative challenges in North West, she finally managed to secure help in Gauteng.

With the support of the Forum for South Africa (FOSA), it has been confirmed with the Saturday Star that she now awaits the completion of her smart ID.

“I am so very happy, the joy that I have today. After you guys leave here today, I am going to have deep sleep for the first time, because I can finally sleep peacefully without being scared of the sound of the cars outside,” Mmaditaba Mokoena said.

“I am so happy I cannot express how happy I am. I can even make everyone laugh,” she added, expressing her gratitude.