Parents seek child documentation help at Diepsloot outreach
A legal outreach programme, aimed at assisting fathers with child documentation challenges, also attracted mothers and caregivers, highlighting the widespread struggle many families face in securing essential documents for their children.
What was intended as an outreach programme to assist fathers struggling to obtain birth certificates and identity documents for their children quickly became a source of hope for many families, as mothers and caregivers also arrived seeking legal assistance.
Kgosiemang Attorneys, in partnership with Ward 95 councillor Julius Maake, hosted the community outreach in Diepsloot on June 23, providing legal guidance to fathers facing challenges with child documentation.
Read more: Home affairs outreach in Diepsloot offers little relief for residents
However, the programme revealed that documentation difficulties are affecting far more than just fathers. Several women were among those seeking assistance, saying they too had experienced years of frustration trying to resolve complex documentation matters that have left their children without the necessary legal documents.
Maake said the initiative was established after numerous fathers approached community leaders asking for help.
“We have met fathers who have spent years trying to obtain birth certificates for their children without success. Many have visited home affairs repeatedly, but have been unable to resolve their cases.
Some are dealing with missing records, while others are faced with complicated family circumstances that require legal intervention. That is why we partnered with Kgosiemang Attorneys to ensure they receive proper guidance.”
He said although the programme was designed specifically for fathers, it became clear that mothers and other caregivers were facing many of the same challenges.
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“We were encouraged to see women coming forward to seek assistance, because this showed us that the problem is much bigger than we initially anticipated.
Documentation challenges affect entire families, and every parent deserves access to the right legal advice to ensure their children receive the documents they need.”
Rose Shilane, an 82-year-old grandmother, said she has been struggling to help her grandchild for five years now, and time is not on her side.
“Her mother left him with me since he was four months and his father passed away when he was 12 years old. Now he is 21 years old. I’m the only family he has and I fear I’m getting older for this”.
One of the attendees, Vangile Dlamini, said she has spent years trying to obtain an ID for herself with the help of her father.
“I don’t know where my mother is, and it’s been years. I had to write my matric with an affidavit. At home affairs, I was told to do DNA blood tests with my father, but still my application was rejected. I really don’t know anything.”
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