International migrants in the rural village of Mahlathi, in Limpopo’s Greater Giyani Municipality, say they are stuck in limbo, unable to further their education or get stable work because they don’t have identity documents.
One is a 37-year-old woman who came to South Africa from Mozambique in 2010, hoping to find work. But without a South African ID, it’s been difficult to find a job, forcing her to sell her body.
“To support my children, I have to have sex with men to survive. There is no other way I can have money besides this. I don’t love what I do, but I have no choice. My kids depend on me for food. I have sex with men not because I love them, but because of the situation,” says the woman who asked not to be named.
“Some of the men promise me R200 and they will say we should not use condoms, and because of that and for survival, I have to do it.”
When asked about the risk of acquiring HIV, she says:
“R200 is good money because I can buy bread and chicken feet for my children. I know the risks of disease, but I have to do it.”
South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on HIV, STIs and TB identifies undocumented individuals and sex workers among the vulnerable populations at risk for HIV. In 2016, the country introduced pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. From the onset, the programme focused on key populations at high risk of HIV, such as sex workers. But the woman Health-e News spoke with says she did not even know there were other means to prevent HIV apart from condoms.
No social protection
Having a valid ID is also key to people accessing social grants, leaving the undocumented elderly in a particularly vulnerable position. This is the reality for 64-year-old Annah Mhlongo, who came to South Africa in the early 1990s with her family after fleeing from war in Mozambique.
“I have tried to get a South African ID document for a long time, but I have not been able to. Because I do not have an ID, I am not getting the old-age grant. My family is struggling; my daughter is not working, and my son is also not getting the R370 social relief grant because of the lack of an ID,” Mhlongo tells Health-e News.
“I feel useless and it is affecting my mental health. I’m also struggling with high blood pressure because of the stress and lack of proper food. We have to beg for food every day just to survive. If my daughter and I had IDs, we could find a way to support ourselves.”
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It’s not just migrants who struggle with the impact of not having documentation. Even South Africans and children of migrants who are born in the country fall through the cracks.
A man from Mahlathi village shared his story.
“My girlfriend’s parents are from Mozambique. She was born in South Africa, but does not have an ID. Now, I’m struggling to get birth certificates for our kids. Because of this, our kids do not get government help,” the man says.
“I thought it would be easy since I am a South African, but it is hard. I am jobless, so feeding our kids is tough. The government has strict rules, and it is hurting us.”
Children born in South Africa must be registered with Home Affairs within 30 days for the child to get a birth certificate. According to the Department of Home Affairs’ website: “Undocumented Foreign Nationals who are born in South Africa are issued with a certificate free of charge on registration of their births.”
But the man says he went to the Home Affairs office in Giyani to try to get his children registered after they were born. He was told he would have to do DNA tests, at his own expense, to prove that the children are indeed his.
The man was told that South African citizens who have a child with an immigrant-particularly those without identity documents-must provide proof of paternity for Home Affairs to process the child’s birth certificate application. In such cases, a DNA test may be necessary to establish the biological relationship between the father and child. This requirement ensures the authenticity of the birth registration process. The cost of a DNA test is unaffordable for the Mahlathi resident.
‘Social services available’
The Limpopo Department of Social Development says it has many programmes to help vulnerable people.
“The department has offices in all districts where our social workers are on hand to provide intervention, which will involve assessment of cases provided to them. After a thorough assessment, social workers will determine the course of action to be taken,” says Joshua Kwapa, department spokesperson.
The Department of Home Affairs did not respond to our media query. – Health-e News
