SA Woman Discovers Her ID Marks Her as Deceased, Visits Home Affairs to Prove She's Alive

• SA TikToker @siphosethu_kibido shared a video diary on 20 July 2026 after discovering her ID flagged her as deceased
• She contacted Home Affairs head offices in Pretoria before visiting a local branch to investigate the alarming error
• Viewers flooded the comments with concerns about identity theft and questions about which systems flagged her as dead

A South African woman had quite the rude awakening when she discovered that, according to certain retail systems, she was no longer among the living. TikToker @siphosethu_kibido posted a follow-up video on 20 July 2026 captioned 'Part 2 of being deceased,' updating her followers on what happened after she first shared news of the strange ordeal.

In the clip, filmed partly outdoors and partly inside what appears to be a Home Affairs waiting area, she explained that she had first called the department's head offices in Pretoria. Officials there told her that everything on their system looked perfectly fine and that no issue had been flagged. They still advised her to follow up in person at a local branch. She visited the Home Affairs office in Loisinyaana, where staff confirmed she was, in fact, alive.

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Retail systems under fire

Despite the relief, user @siphosethu_kibido did not let the matter rest without a warning. She pointed the finger squarely at the systems used by retailers Pep and Shoprite, saying she believed their records were inaccurate. Her frustration came through clearly as she urged her followers to be aware that what those systems show does not always reflect the truth.

Several commenters shared that they had experienced similar problems. One viewer, @Khanya.S, said she had faced the same issue and could no longer use Shoprite or Checkers to send money or buy bus tickets, even after Home Affairs confirmed she was alive.

Check out the TikTok video below:

Mzansi reacts to the ‘resurrection’

South Africans in the comments section could not hold back their amusement and concern:

Onwa wrote:

"Hey sis Kuthwa ndifile. 😭"

Clementine commented:

"Oh siyabonga, you're still amongst us. 😭"

Zans said:

"Ndim umfi" is diabolical. 😂😂😂"

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Nonhle Thema's claim to be pioneer of Twitter in SA stirs up jokes

Pini | Attorney joked:

"Died and rose again. 🥹"

Melo18291 wrote:

"Happy resurrection day to you, my sister."

3 Other Briefly News stories about identity theft

• For artist Karla Ortiz, the explosion in artificial intelligence that can stand in for flesh-and-blood artists is nothing more than identity theft.
• South Africans with blocked IDs can contest the status by submitting a specific set of documents to the Department of Home Affairs.
• Homecoming star Zelwande Mbuli's character Sphamandla will discover who his real father is after searching for him for several months.

Source: Briefly News