LIMPOPO – A family of 11 from Thomo village is battling to survive on food donations and occasional piece jobs after the deaths of both parents left them without IDs, preventing them from accessing social grants and other government services.

Twenty-six-year-old Mavis Vukeya lives with seven siblings, her own child, and two children belonging to one of her siblings in one room of an unfinished house. None of the adults in the household is employed, leaving the family dependent on the small income Mavis earns from doing clients’ hair whenever she is fortunate enough to find work.

“We get enough food when I get one or two clients who come to do their hair. Otherwise, we survive on handouts. People occasionally come here to drop off food parcels, so we wait for those while also trying to hustle for food ourselves. If we don’t get anything, we go to bed on an empty stomach,” she said.

No IDs, no grants

Their struggle is compounded by the fact that none of the siblings has a South African ID. As a result, the children in the household cannot be registered for child support grants, further deepening the family’s financial hardship.

According to Mavis, their father, a Mozambican-born man who had obtained South African citizenship, died in 2005 before registering his children with the department. Their mother later died in 2024, leaving the siblings to fend for themselves.

‘We tried Home Affairs, but we failed’

Asked if they tried to go to Home Affairs to resolve the issue using their father’s ID document, Mavis said they tried and failed, as their father indicated that he did not have family at the time he applied for South African citizenship.

“We tried to go to Home Affairs with his ID book, but we failed because the system indicated that he did not have children and was not married at the time he obtained his South African ID,” she explained.

Food is the biggest concern

Despite living in overcrowded conditions, Mavis said the family’s greatest concern at present is not accommodation but having enough food to eat.

“Two of our siblings have been offered a place to stay with a family who needed someone to guard their house while they were away. So, for now, the accommodation issue can be managed. But food cannot be managed. When children are hungry, they are hungry, and they need food immediately. You cannot avoid that,” she said.

Councillor aware of the situation

Ward Councillor Piet Makhubele confirmed that he was aware of the family’s circumstances and said he intended to visit them again to determine how best they could be assisted.