Minister Schreiber,

I am writing on behalf of my 92-year-old vulnerable mother, Mrs Hildegard Gisela Perold, to bring to your immediate attention the severe humanitarian crisis and immense suffering she is experiencing due to the Department of Home Affairs’ failure to act.

Despite emailing your office over 100 times, our desperate pleas for intervention have been entirely ignored.

The Crisis Created by Home Affairs

A fraudster successfully registered a fraudulent death certificate and letter of executorship against my living mother's identity. In June 2026, we physically brought my frail mother into a Home Affairs branch, verified her identity, and submitted her biometrics to prove she is alive.

Instead of an immediate reversal of this criminal error, your department informed us that the administrative rectification would take up to six months.

The Human Cost of Your Department's Bureaucracy
Leaving a living, 92-year-old citizen registered as "deceased" for half a year carries catastrophic real-world consequences. Because of this active status:
• Her bank accounts have been frozen, cutting off the funds required for her daily medical care, living essentials, and specialized frail care assistance.
• Vital insurance debit orders are bouncing, threatening to lapse her essential medical and short-term cover.
• Her life and health are being directly placed at risk because a criminal was able to kill her on paper instantly, yet your department requires months to prove she is sitting alive in front of you.

It is the fundamental duty of the Minister of Home Affairs to protect citizens against identity fraud and ensure the department does not become an accomplice to elder abuse through bureaucratic delay. We have already opened a criminal case with the South African Police Service (SAPS).

We demand that your office manually intervene to expedite the reversal of her deceased status today.

Be advised that due to the total lack of response from your office to over 100 emails, I am taking this matter public. I will be posting this escalating case on the People’s Assembly forum daily to ensure public transparency regarding the department's failure to protect a vulnerable, elderly citizen until this matter is resolved.

Sincerely,

Martin Perold