Recently, news reports have been circulating about Thabo Bester, a man who escaped prison by faking his death in a cell. Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has stated that Bester never had an ID in his life. This has left many South Africans questioning how it is possible for someone who never had an ID to be issued a death certificate.
The answer lies in South African law. According to the Births and Deaths Registration Act, a death certificate can be issued to a person without an Identification Document on file in South Africa if attested to by two or more individuals who are familiar with the deceased. Therefore, it is possible that Bester was issued a death certificate.
The fact that a death certificate can be issued to someone without an ID in South Africa has led Em Hlophe to comment on social media that “South Africa is a joke, serious.” This is an understandable reaction, as it seems unusual for someone without an ID to be issued a death certificate. However, the law states that this is possible, and it is important to understand the legal framework under which a death certificate can be issued in order to make sure that the law is followed.
This begs the question did those familiar to him know that he was still alive?
Birth Certificates can’t be issued without an ID
However, a birth certificate cannot be used if no ID is available. The Births and Deaths Registration Act requires a parent to submit an ID in order to register a birth. Therefore, if there is no ID available, the birth cannot be registered and a birth certificate cannot be issued.
This article was written by Jurno.