An elderly homeless man Anthony Errol Rose, says he feels “reborn” after a Woodstock resident helped him to get an ID from the Department of Home Affairs.
Mr Rose, 60, who has lived on Cape Town’s streets for 40 years, mostly in Woodstock, received the document at the department’s City Bowl office on Tuesday October 25, after Youssef Kanouni came to his aid.
“He approached me looking for help because he is finding difficulty whenever he goes to the hospital and he was unable to draw an old-age pension,” said Mr Kanouni, who does community work in the Woodstock area.
Mr Rose, who is originally from Bloemfontein, said he was abandoned by his mother at the age of 13 and he had not seen his young brothers, Hercules and Robin, in over 40 years.
“It is very hard in the street, when it rains and you don’t have proper shelter. You have to look for a roof to stand under.”
He appreciated getting food from feeding schemes but would like to be able to buy his own, he said.
He had lost his ID more than 20 years ago and had been unable to vote or draw a state pension, he said. He also found it hard to get medicine from hospitals.
Mr Kanouni took Mr Rose to the Home Affairs office in Cape Town over three months ago, when staff took down all his available information, and he also asked members of parliament to help.
Home Affairs Cape metro coordinator Samuel Plaatjies said they were proud to be able to help Mr Rose. “From not having an ID in years, he now has this valuable document,” he said.
Mr Plaatjies advised the public to use the Home Affairs online booking system to avoid long queues.
In cases where people reapplying for a new ID could not remember their old ID number, he said: “We would have to do a lot of interviews with the client, perhaps interview a witness who knows the client well and perhaps ask for any supporting documents like perhaps a school letter, a baptism certificate that can help the person.”
An emotional Mr Rose said: “I feel like a citizen again, all thanks to Youssef for helping me through this process.”
Once he could draw his pension he would like to find an affordable place to live and buy his own food, he said.
Mr Kanouni said he would help Mr Rose register for his South African Social Security Agency card.
