Hundreds march in Pretoria in protest over blocked IDs

Hundreds of people marched to the Department of Home Affairs’ head office in Pretoria on Thursday to demand that their identity documents be unblocked. Some say they have been able to use their IDs for nearly two decades.

The march was organised by the civic group Soil of Africa. Many of the protesters travelled overnight by bus from other provinces and slept outside the department’s offices.

The protesters said their identity documents were blocked without notice or reason. Without IDs, they are unable to access social grants, the health system, employment, and other services.

The department has said that they block ID numbers to prevent identity fraud and irregular migration. But the Gauteng High Court in 2024 declared it unconstitutional for the department to block IDs without notice, timeous investigation and appeal processes. About 700,000 people are affected by blocked IDs.

Protesters say that despite the court order, their IDs are still blocked.

“This is inhumane, unconstitutional and unlawful,” reads a memorandum handed over to the department on Thursday.

Samuel Shirindza said he was unable to get a job because his ID had been blocked. He was told by Home Affairs to get proof from his former primary school that he had gone there. He did this, but his ID is still blocked.

Another protester, Sam Sibiya, said his ID was blocked in 1998, and he was unable to register the births of his two children.

The department’s head of communications, Paseka Mokhethea, told the crowd, “The department is busy with the process of verification of the blocked IDs.”

“If we can unblock them without properly checking them, we may end up with people who are not supposed to receive them, especially those who are illegally in the country.”

Mokhethea said that verifying blocked IDs takes time, and the department needs to ensure no one gets an ID fraudulently. A response to the memorandum is expected within seven days.