Stolen passport

My elevated rush to get the house fully decorated for Christmas (before hubby gets home) has just been flushed down the toilet by the news that his passport has been stolen.

I am sitting here completely overwhelmed by my family's current situation for the holidays. Hubby had his bag stolen yesterday with laptop, credit cards and passport - yip, passport! Now for us European citizens this is not too much of an issue but if you are a South African citizen living in Europe you will understand exactly how complicated this situation can become.

We have various ideas that we are working on right now but somehow I have a feeling that I'm not going to be spending Christmas with my husband this year. I know he definitely will not be spending it in Spain as we had planned.

He was sitting in a coffee shop away from the 'passing parade' when somebody knocked his seat (oldest trick in the book - it's a sign that we have lived in the UK for too long, no longer on our toes!). His bag was tucked in next to his feet so he didn't think much of the 'bump' until a minute later when he realized that his computer bag was no longer at his feet. Every time he tells the story, there is a well meaning South Africans wanting to reassure him that he is lucky that he wasn't shot, or even worse - killed.

Such is life in Africa - we measure our luck by how many times we manage to elude death and stay alive. I'm hugely ticked off right now so allow me my moment of sarcasm - I don't do it often.

But besides the whole emotional reaction thing - here's an interesting observation for you. There have been several thefts at the same location but yet there are no warnings going out to the public because the restaurants don't want to scare away potential clients. No wonder so many people live in South Africa under the illusion that there is no crime happening around them. How can South Africa fight crime if people are failing to admit that there is crime?

When hubby went to the police station, the police were more concerned about his lack of ability to speak Xhosa or Zulu than the fact that his passport was stolen. When it came to taking a statement, hubby was offered a torn piece of blank paper and a pencil and asked to write down what happened. The 'case number' was then scribbled on the piece of paper and carried off somewhere.

Besides the challenge of doing his seminars without his equipment, we have a greater challenge. How on earth to get a new SA passport in time to get him home for Christmas (as the UK no longer accepts South African emergency passports).

The second challenge is to get him through UK immigration without his EEA family permit in his passport. I have DHL'd my passport and our marriage certificate with proof of residence to him so that he at least has some form of documentation.

Thirdly, the Schengen visa is gone. We will never be able to get another Schengen visa in time for Christmas so that we can all spend Christmas together with gran and granpa in Spain. How disappointed the old folks will be.

The way I see it there are only two possible solutions to this problem (any one will do):

1. That the passport is found laying about and handed in by some good Samaritan.
2. That somebody out there knows some 'larny' in Government who can help out and fastrack hubby's passport application!

So anybody know any 'bigshots' out there? Got any contacts in cabinet or Home Affairs - perhaps you have lunch with the president on a regular basis? Hellloooooooo......