Kathorus MAIL recently spoke to some South African residents who are still without identity documents (IDs) and birth certificates after numerous attempts to apply for the documents with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
Twin sisters Yolanda and Sandra Mboxa (24) from Katlehong said they have been attempting to apply for IDs for years, following the death of their mother in 2013, and now their children are also affected.
Yolanda said she first went to the DHA with the father of her child to apply for her child’s birth certificate in 2014. Instead, they were told her name does not appear on the system as DHA requires the mother’s details to issue a certificate.
“We were told the only people who appeared on the DHA system were my younger siblings who got their certificates before my mother died, my mother also got her ID very late in her life.
“I asked if they could assist me with obtaining my ID so that I could apply for the birth certificate as I had my mother’s death certificate. “Home Affairs said they needed an older family member from the maternal side of my family. My problem is that we only know my uncle from my mother’s side and my uncle uses a different surname,” said Yolanda.
The twin sisters were raised by their uncle before moving to their mother’s house in fear that the house might be taken and they would not be able to claim it without identity documents.
The Mboxa sisters said they were badly affected by this because they could not complete their matric as the school required IDs and they are afraid that their children might also be affected.
Another resident, Solomon Mthembu, said he lost hope of getting a birth certificate for his nine-year-old son, Thulani. He said the DHA in Boksburg requested he brought an affidavit and a confirmation letter from the hospital when he tried to apply for his son’s birth certificate.
“I returned to the DHA with the required documents. That’s when they said my family has to undergo DNA tests at an amount of R2 000. I gave up because I do not have that kind of money and I don’t know when I will have it,” said Mthembu.
He said he was in KwaZulu-Natal when the child was born at a hospital in Vosloorus. Mthembu explained the reason the hospital could not make a certificate for the child was that the mother of the child is from Mozambique and she did not have a passport.
The director of Leratong Advice Centre, Papi Papi, said he assists approximately 50 people a day and most of them are South African-born children who do not have birth certificates.
Papi said it is a stressful experience because he sends people to the DHA in Alberton, Germiston, and Boksburg and they come back more frustrated than before.
“We have tried to speak to the Pretoria DHA spokesperson and he advised that every time we have problems we need to speak with the manager, who is always unavailable in the office and telephonically. Maybe we can create a structure that can accommodate the problems we experience,” said Papi.
Kathorus MAIL contacted DHA telephonically and via email, the department has not been available for comment.
