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Identity mix-up blocks little girl school dreams

Source: Times Live, 24/03/2017

When they return in the afternoon she listens as they loudly recite
the days lessons.

Bongi cannot understand why she cannot join her friends at the nearby
primary school.

I want to go to school but the people there do not want me because my
mother went to Heaven she said tears welling up.

Shortly before Bongis birth her mother discovered that her identity
had been confused with that of her cousin of the same name. The error
was revealed when she applied for an identity document. Bongi mother
died three years ago and before the issue was resolved.

The lack of an identity document prevented her from applying for a
birth certificate for her daughter.

The school has not accepted Bongi despite the family saying the
Department of Home Affairs was investigating the error.

Bongis uncle who cannot be named said the department was still
interviewing family members and the process would take more than two
years.

The family does not want to identify the child in case it prejudices
the investigation.

They gave her a letter confirming that they were investigating her
case so she could be accepted at school but the principal will not
budge so she stays at home he said.

Children adrift
A stateless child is a child who is not recognized by any country as a
citizen because his or her parents country of origin does not
recognize them as citizens and neither does the country in which he or
she lives.

An undocumented child is one who has a state but has not obtained
documentation.

Lawyers for Human Rights Liesl MÃ¼ller said the organisation had dealt
with cases of children being without documents and added that half of
them had one South African parent.

South African children are denied a birth certificate usually because
fathers attempt to register their children but Home Affairs requires
the mother of the child to be present and when that fails they ask for
blood tests to prove the paternity but it is too expensive and most of
these people are poor said MÃ¼ller.

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