Boy`s schooling in the balance

Source: The Witness, 21/12/2015

Pietermaritzburg - A Northdale child`s education is hanging in the
balance as his desperate mother tries frantically to legalise his
South African citizenship.


With allegedly no progress being made by "slack" Department of Home
Affairs managers, Greenhill Primary School pupil Cail Edward (11) may
not be allowed to attend a South African school next year if he is not
granted South African nationality by the start of the school year in
January.


Cail`s mother, Rhonda Arumugam — a South African resident who moved to
New Zealand where she gave birth to Cail — has been desperately trying
since August to obtain the documents.


Now living in Northdale since her family`s return to South Africa in
2011, Arumugam said she was never made aware that she had to register
her son`s citizenship, believing that he would instantly
qualify.


The abrupt realisation came in August this year when, on order of the
Department of Education, the school sent Arumugam a letter of
exclusion.


"I pleaded Cail`s right to education and the school was lenient enough
to let him complete the year on condition that I started the process
of acquiring an unabridged birth certificate," Arumugam said.


Cail, who will be in Grade 6 next year, passed his final exams with
distinctions, but Arumugam is worried his success may be shortlived if
he cannot register for school.


"I have repeatedly gone to the department and have spoken to managers
via telephone and e-mail. My worry is that staff will go on leave
during the festive season and the department will be even less
effective in dealing with my matter," Arumugam said.


Arumugam supplied The Witness with a string of e-mails between herself
and department managers.


After being bounced from one manager to another, Arumugam threatened
to report her ordeal to the media — a move that was met with a
dismissive response by Home Affairs official Thamsanqa Luthuli, who
allegedly said that he is not threatened by the media.


"It is part of my job to talk to them [the media] as there are
numerous and mostly unfounded complaints clients report to the media
and at the end of the day it become proved that the client exaggerated
the matter for publicity," Luthuli wrote.


"Hence I`m available to apologise,should the error be on the side of
the Dept; as well as clarify matters, if the media was not provided
with correct facts."


Department spokesperson Thabo Mokgola said they are "looking at the
matter".


"The office manager from the Pietermaritzburg office will contact Ms
Arumugum with a view to resolving the matter," Mokgola said.