‘My children don’t get SASSA grants because they don’t have IDs. I can’t afford the DNA tests Home Affairs is asking for. I have tried everything I can’
PHOLA – A 52-year-old father from Phola, Isaac Mahlangu, is pleading with the public and good Samaritans to assist him in securing identity documents for his three children, who are currently without any official documentation, a situation that has made life extremely difficult for the struggling family.
Mahlangu, who is unemployed, is unable to access child support grants for his children because they do not have birth certificates or identity documents.
Zile (13), Thandwa (11), and Delani (9) were all born in South Africa and have clinic cards as proof of birth. However, the major hurdle Mahlangu faces is that the children’s mother is not South African and her passport has expired.
The Department of Home Affairs has requested DNA tests to confirm paternity before the children can be registered under Mahlangu’s surname, a cost he simply cannot afford.
“I am not working. Life is very difficult. My children don’t get SASSA grants because they don’t have IDs. I can’t afford the DNA tests Home Affairs is asking for. I have tried everything I can,” Mahlangu told Highveld Chronicle. “My children were born here.”
Mahlangu is appealing to any individual, organisation or government department that can assist with covering the costs of the DNA testing, so his children can be officially registered and finally gain access to their basic rights.
“I just want my children to live a normal life. To go to school, to get help when they are sick, and to have a future,” he added.
Cases like Mahlangu’s are becoming increasingly common in communities across South Africa, particularly where one parent is a foreign national and birth registration was not completed in time.
The Department of Home Affairs as per their policy requires additional proof such as DNA testing in such cases to prevent fraudulent registrations but for low-income families, this policy often creates an added barrier instead of offering a solution.
