KNYSNA NEWS - A 30-year-old Knysna man is struggling to find a job due to a bureaucratic bungle on his matric certificate.

Loyiso Mbambisa said the ID number on his matric certificate represents a different year of birth (1991) to what it actually is (1990), which is correctly reflected on his ID card.

A desperate Mbambisa approached Knysna-Plett Herald, saying he is at wits' end as he wants to get a job and change his family situation. "I first went to the Department of Education in 2015 to ask them to fix this problem but I was told to pay R97, which I don't have because I am not working," he said.

"I depend on my father who does not have much because the money he earns is only for groceries. I call the department and each time I tell them of my situation."

Mbambisa said at the beginning of lockdown he once again begged an education department official for his matric certificate. "They said they had a problem with the post office but they did not say what the problem was. It's almost five years now since I started communicating with the department. All those I went to school with are working while I am still in the same place depending on my father to buy me things," he said.

Mbambisa's former principal at Percy Mdala High School, Nicholas Njozela, also tried to help and wrote a letter to the department asking them to change the certificate, but to no avail.

The department's spokesperson, Bronagh Hammond, said Mbambisa's certificate was processed and ready for collection in September 2019. However, Mbambisa said he never received any message informing him to collect his certificate.

"It is now in a batch of uncollected certificates," Hammond told KPH. "I was just informed that because of lockdown we are not doing collections directly, but can e-mail the certificate and can assist with collection at a later stage. The client also still needs to make payment before the certificate can be released." 

She did, however, mention that a special arrangement for possible collection could be made once payment is received.

On the question as to why Mbambisa has to pay for an administrative error, Hammond said in order to find out who made the mistake they would need more information from Mbambisa.

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