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Family split after girl, 5, is `banned`

Source: Cape Times, 29/01/2016


STRICT enforcement of immigration rules has caused a family to be
split between South Africa and Israel, after their youngest daughter
was banned from entering the country for five years.


Yaron Schapiro says he and his wife had two children, and left to live
in Israel in 2008 to look after his mother who was in her twilight
years. While in that country, they had their daughter Noa on January
28, 2010.


Thinking that she was a citizen by virtue of being the child of two
South African parents, they never registered her with the South
African embassy in Tel Aviv.


In the meantime Noa got an Israeli passport as a dual citizen, and
travelled back and forth to South Africa with that document.


"We came back last year, and Noa came in with an Israeli passport.


They (immigration) stamped the passport and did not tell me
anything," said Schapiro.


While settling back in South Africa, where he owns a business,
Schapiro and his wife Jessica had to find new schools for their
children, a house and renew their South African driving licences. It
never dawned on them that there could be a wrangle over Noa`s
immigration status in South Africa being in dispute.


"I never thought about it, I did so much bureaucracy (getting the
children into school and driver`s licences). If I knew I would (have
to change Noa`s immigration status, I would have) run to Home Affairs
to fix it," said Schapiro.


He said he had enquired about his daughter`s status with the South
African embassy in Tel Aviv and they told him he could "sort it out in
South Africa".


In 2013 the law on birth registrations was amended and the new
regulations came into force on March 1, 2014, which states the birth
of a South African child has to be registered within a period of 30
days. "We went to Mauritius in December 2015 on holiday and had no
concept of any problem whatsoever. We tried to leave the country and
they stopped her and said `No, she overstayed her visa and is now
declared an undesirable`."


He said the immigration official who made the decision should have
been more thoughtful, considering both Noa`s parents are South
African, and ordering a five-year-old out of the country did not make
any sense.


Schapiro had to send his wife and daughter back to Israel at great
expense, while he and his two older daughters, one of who is deaf, had
to stay behind in Cape Town.


His 10-year-old daughter can only sign in Hebrew and his wife is the
only one who can communicate with her.


She is being taught to sign in English and has had to get a tutor to
help home school her because she is unable to attend regular
school.


Department of Home Affairs spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete said Noa`s
situation could still be salvaged and the department would investigate
the case.


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