Dead or Alive? South Africans Caught in Limbo After Home Affairs Official Fakes Their Deaths

Dead While Still Breathing, The Horror of Being ‘Digitally Buried’ by the State

Most South Africans have heard horror stories about queues at Home Affairs. But now, imagine this: you walk in to renew your passport or apply for a marriage certificate, only to be told, “Sorry, according to our system, you’re dead.”

That is not a dystopian joke. It’s the lived reality of multiple citizens whose identities were tampered with by 45-year-old former Home Affairs employee, Dawn Celeste Pieterson, who has now been convicted of fraud for using state systems to fake people’s deaths for insurance payouts.

A Government Employee Turned Grim Reaper

According to the Hawks, Pieterson worked at the Calvinia branch of Home Affairs between February 2019 and September 2022. With full access to the National Population Register, she allegedly took out funeral policies on unsuspecting citizens, listing herself as the beneficiary.

And how did she plan to cash in?

She simply declared them dead in the system.

By illegally issuing BI-1663 death notification forms, she flipped a digital switch and suddenly, living people ceased to exist on paper.

Hawks spokesperson Lt Col Tebogo Thebe said this left the victims dealing with “a plethora of problems in their day-to-day lives.” That’s putting it lightly. When the system believes you’re dead, your bank accounts freeze, medical aid stops, and you can’t even apply for an ID. You’re cut off from society, alive but administratively deceased.

The Calvinia Magistrate Court has now found Pieterson guilty on nine counts of fraud and two counts under the Birth and Death Registration Act. She’ll be sentenced in January 2026.

A Bigger Crisis Inside Home Affairs

While Pieterson’s scheme is shocking, it’s not isolated.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, 38 Home Affairs officials were dismissed, with at least eight already jailed for various offences, from bribery to identity manipulation.

Minister Leon Schreiber did not mince his words:

“The days of defrauding this department… are over.”

Bold statement, but the public isn’t convinced.

Public Outrage: “How Many More Are ‘Dead’ Without Knowing?”

South Africans online are livid. Some joked they wouldn’t mind being declared dead to avoid debt collectors. Others asked the real question:

“How do we know we’re even alive in the system? Should we check our status before it’s too late?”

This is no longer just a corruption issue, it’s a trust crisis. If state officials can rewrite our existence with a few keystrokes, how safe is anyone’s identity?

So, What Now?

For victims, it could take months even years to be officially “resurrected” in government records.

Meanwhile, the Department faces mounting pressure to audit past records and tighten access to sensitive systems.

Because in South Africa, death used to be final. Now, it’s just another checkbox, one that can be ticked without your consent.

{Source: The Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com