By: Zethu Gweva
At least two children aged three and six years old at Pholapark in Dimbaza don’t have a birth certificate which resulted in them not receiving social grants.
A concerned grandmother of a three-year-old Nokuzola Patricia Makhaphela, 48, said her grandson does not have a birth certificate, therefore, he cannot attend a school or receive social grants.
Makhaphela added that the reason why her grandson does not have a birth certificate is that her daughter who is the mother of her grandson does not have an identity document. She said her daughter left home in 2017 without a reason.
“I don’t know where my grandchild’s parents are. I recently heard that the mother is in Mdantsane,” she said.
The Department of Social Development Spokesperson Gcobani Maswana said the government has a programme of integration, where the Department of Home Affairs, Social Development, and the South African Police Services do outreach programmes to attend to cases of children not having birth certificates.
Maswana said a birth certificate gives a person a key to getting an identity document and will get government benefits such as social grants, housing and attend school.
The father of the six-year-old Luzuku Thozama, 29, said his child does not have a birth certificate and he can not attend school like children his age are. He added that this will delay him and his learning process.
“My child does not attend school nor receives a social grant and I don’t have a stable job. The mother is nowhere to be found, I have tried calling her, asking about the child’s birth certificate and she told me to buy it,” said Thozama.
Addressing the father of the six-year-old situation, Maswana said the government is very strict when it comes to children who have passed the ages of four and five years without a birth certificate.
“Parents need to instill the element of seriousness when it comes to children’s birth certificates,” he said.
In-addition, Maswana said they are disheartened to hear that in this day and time there are still such unresolved causes.
He said the department officials will investigate these cases and added that if a case cannot be solved at a district level, it must be taken to the provincial office or call the Eastern Cape Social Development Customer Care helpline on 043 605 5441.