14 December 2008
As Cape Town's soccer team boarded an aircraft for this year's Homeless World Cup tournament in Australia, captain Martin Africa waved goodbye to them - and the opportunity of a lifetime.
Africa, 31, could not accompany his teammates earlier this month because the Department of Home Affairs failed to issue him with an identity document, even though he applied for one in September and regularly followed up to see how things were going. Having no ID meant he could not apply for an emergency passport and visa.
The Homeless Soccer World Cup started five years ago and to date, 56 nations have participated. Cape Town hosted the tournamentlast year.
For many like Africa, who used to be a gangster who abused alcohol and drugs, the tournament and soccer significantly changed their lives.
Many now have jobs, education and training; have given up drugs and alcohol, found homes and renewed relationships with their families.
Africa, from Clark Estate, Elsies River, said: "My heart sank as I watched my teammates leave. But I wished them luck and all the best. I just wish Home Affairs had not messed me around.
"An opportunity like this does not come around every day."
He said when he applied for his ID he fulfilled a list of requirements to prove he was South African.
"My parents are dead but I got a copy of my mother's ID. I got a copy of my birth certificate from Tygerberg Hospital and an affidavit from my primary school principal."
He visited Home Affairs' Barrack Street office daily to check on his application, but received different excuses. "They lost my fingerprints three times. Then they blamed Pretoria for losing my documents. I tried to tell them how important this was to me but they didn't seem to care."
He said without an ID, he could not get a permanent job. He currently does odd jobs in the film industry.
David Abrahams, president of the Western Cape Street Soccer League, said the incident saddened him.
"Martin had prepared for this once-in-a-lifetime tournament for almost six months. He was at all training sessions, always on time, very disciplined and a brilliant role model for the younger players in the team.
"Being selected to represent his country and being made captain had transformed his life. But all of his dreams came crashing down around him because of the callous indifference, arrogance, incompetence and a don't-give-a-damn attitude of two Home Affairs officials at Barrack Street."
He said he tried everything to get Home Affairs to process the application.
"My inquiries were met with a total lack of interest, empathy or concern. In desperation at the total lack of progress I contacted Home Affairs in Pretoria. I even contacted Eddie Mathonsi, the secretary of the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee in Parliament."
Abrahams said two Barrack Street officials, "a woman named Thandi, and a certain Mr Niedermeyer, who I believe is the Home Affairs regional manager, have still not explained why, after three months, Martin has still not received his ID".
For more than two months Africa was told the delay in processing his ID was Pretoria's fault because they were taking a long time to process his fingerprints.
"However, when I inquired at Home Affairs Pretoria, I was told they had no record of Martin's application," said Abrahams.
"But I had the receipt to prove Martin had applied at Barrack Street. I faxed this to Pretoria and still they insisted that they had no record of the application.
"It emerged that the application had either been lost, misplaced or had never been sent to Pretoria in the first place. It took us two months to discover this. And for two months Thandi told Martin the hold-up was Pretoria's fault, despite knowing this was a lie. Home Affairs in Barrack Street is a sorry affair."
Mathonsi said he was aware of the situation. "It needs to be investigated but there is nothing I can (do) now. We (Parliament) are going on recess today, I'm going on leave now."
Last month, the department's director-general Mavuso Msimang admitted more than 70 percent of Home Affairs staff had failed a job competency test.
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