There are more than 500 000 unclaimed South African identity documents at home affairs offices, banks and mobile units around the country. Photo: Garrin Lambley
Over 500 000 unclaimed SA ID books at Home Affairs offices
There are more than 500 000 unclaimed South African identity documents at home affairs offices, banks and mobile units around the country.
There are more than 500 000 unclaimed South African identity documents at home affairs offices, banks and mobile units around the country. Photo: Garrin Lambley
There are more than 500 000 unclaimed South African identity documents at home affairs offices, banks and mobile units around the country.
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According to the Outlier website, almost 111 841 of the abandoned IDs are in Gauteng, the highest number of all nine provinces in South Africa.
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The home affairs office with the most is situated in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, where 8 350 IDs remain unclaimed.
Gqeberha is followed by Akasia (Gauteng), Cape Town (Western Cape), Pretoria and Johannesburg (both Gauteng).
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About 7% of the unclaimed IDs were applied and paid for online, but have not been collected from banks.
Officials say that time and financial constraints, system downtimes, incorrect contact details and applicants who have relocated are some of the main reasons why IDs are not collected.
UNCLAIMED IDS PER PROVINCE
| Province | Number |
| Gauteng | 111 841 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 68 337 |
| Western Cape | 63 500 |
| Eastern Cape | 61 839 |
| Limpopo | 42 806 |
| Free State | 34 986 |
| North West | 33 861 |
| Mpumalanga | 30 839 |
| Northern Cape | 15 905 |
| Banks | 32 467 |
| Mobile unit | 6 596 |
| TOTAL | 502 977 |
