Problems for undocumented children

When the headmaster of Vhumbeni Primary School, in Katlehong, Molapisi Seheshe, invited officials from the Germiston Home Affairs to assist parents with problems affecting the registration of their children’s birth details, little did he know the exercise would unearth the extent of undocumented children at the school and many more living in the country illegally.

Hundreds of parents, mainly women, many of them Mozambican nationals, packed the Vhumbeni school hall to listen to Department of Home Affairs officials explain how they should go about dealing with immigration problems affecting their children’s education in the country.

Principal Seheshe spoke to Kathorus MAIL about how about 80 Grade 7 Tsonga-speaking learners at his school were unable to apply for their birth certificates from Home Affairs because their birth details were either never formally registered in South Africa, or simply because the children were “smuggled” into the country illegally.

Seheshe said that he realised that unless the parents of these learners, many of them Mozambique nationals living and working in South Africa, are assisted in getting their children’s birth documents in order, none of the learners would be registered for high school entry examinations for Grade 8 in the new year.

“A birth certificate is a compulsory document required by the Department of Education to capture the learner’s birth details as well as for the school to register the learner in the national schooling system,” explained Seheshe.

“Many of these learners started school from Grade R here or at other Tsonga medium schools elsewhere in the country, but as they approach Grade 8, we’re unable to register them for high school entry because they do not have South African issued birth certificates or because their birth details do not exist in the school system’s data base. And now we can’t obtain their birth details from Home Affairs as their births were never registered,” explained Seheshe.

Seheshe, who started as principal at Vhumbeni in March this year, said the reason why the problem has been left unattended by the previous principal was because government schools are not supposed to turn a learner away because he or she does not have proper documents. “As a result many of these learners are often unable to continue with their studies after Grade 7 and instead, they then drop out of school,” said Seheshe, who described the move to invite the Department of Home Affairs for assistance as an effort to find a solution to the problem.

“Once many parents realise that their child cannot go any further with his or her studies they simply pull that child out of the schooling system. This is unacceptable as it hinders the child from continuing with his or her schooling,” explained Seheshe.

During the meeting, which was attended by immigration officials from the Department of Home Affairs, it was found out that hundreds of children whose parents were originally from Mozambique were in fact in the country illegally. Many of these children were either born in Mozambique or they were brought into South Africa illegally without valid immigration documents, or their births in South Africa were not registered with Home Affairs because their parents were themselves illegally in the country.

Home Affairs’ Takalani Khomolo and his team’s visit to Vhumbeni Primary School was an important part of the department’s efforts to deal with immigration problems. He also told parents and guardians at the meeting that many of them could have their children declared illegal immigrants and deported back to the countries where they (the parents) were born.

“Any child who has not had his or her birth registered at Home Affairs, will be declared an illegal immigrant who is in the country illegally and that child could be deported. That child’s parents or guardian could also face possible charges of harbouring an illegal immigrant in the country or human trafficking,” explained Kholomo.

Scores of immigrant parents and the children’s guardians listed their problems which ranged from undocumented children to those brought into the country illegally and requested Home Affairs officials to assist them to rectify their status and those of their young children. Many others from countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi and even as far as Zambia highlighted their plight and sought the help of Home Affairs officials to assist them with their immigration problems.