March 2011, nearly 600 000 persons have been affected.103 The department acknowledges that corruption has played a role. Individuals typically learn that their ID has been duplicated when they appear at local Home Affairs offices to register the birth of a child, register a marriage, or to get a new ID or passport. Home Affairs officials deny the requested service and inform the person that his or her ID has been ‘blocked.’ Those persons who are unable to meet department requirements to prove that they are the true citizen, and who do not hold a second nationality, are effectively stateless because Home Affairs does not recognise them as nationals. Given the high numbers of foreigners who have obtained South African IDs by fraud or forgery, or by bribing Home Affairs officials, suspicions are high across the country as to whether the holder of a blocked ID is in fact South African. This is especially the case for South Africans who have a parent from another country or who have lived in other countries. Home Affairs’ strict requirements to regain access to blocked ID numbers and its haphazard implementation of ID investigations at the local level rob citizens of their rights. Furthermore, some persons simply cannot provide the proof the department requires. Without legal assistance many of them are, quite practically speaking, stateless in terms of the 1954 Convention – they are not viewed as nationals by South Africa nor any other state. As a result, they cannot obtain passports or enter or leave the country. LHR has had clients whose bank accounts are frozen due to ID blockage. Affected persons cannot buy or sell property, register their children’s births or their marriages, vote, run for office and more. Without a valid ID they cannot get jobs and often lose jobs,104 but cannot access UIF (unemployment insurance funds) because a valid ID number is required. Home Affairs declared that all duplicate ID numbers will be cancelled by December 2013 if the holder does not come forward. This decision was taken in the run up to the release of the new South African Smart ID, which is replacing identity books.105 It is likely that as individuals come forward to swap out their ID books for Smart IDs, more people will discover that their ID number has been blocked. Approximately 22 000 South African duplicate IDs 103 See transcript copy: 'Briefing by Director-General Mkuseli Apleni regarding progress of the National Population Registration campaign and new tariffs', available at http://www.info.gov.za/speech/DynamicAction?pageid=461& sid=17279&tid=30731 (accessed 26 March 2013). 104 One of LHR's blocked ID clients lost his job at Bleskop mine. He had to scan his fingerprints when reporting for work and the mine discovered that his ID number is blocked. Consequently, he was fired. 105 See SA News article, ‘New Smart ID to be introduced this year’ available at http://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/new-smart-id-card-be-introduced-year (accessed on 9 September 2013). 60 Promoting citizenship and preventing statelessness in South Africa: A practitioner’s guide