Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has given the Home Affairs Department 14 working days to reinstate the identity number of a four-year-old child born in Polokwane, Limpopo, and issue the child with a birth certificate.
Following a complaint by the child’s father, who is a South African citizen, Mkhwebane has found that the department improperly revoked the child’s birth certificate and citizenship.
The child’s mother is a Zimbabwean national, who held a Permanent Residence Permit at the time when the child was born in 2014.
Mkhwebane’s spokesperson Oupa Segalwe says, “This follows the investigation into a complaint by the boy’s father that the department’s office in Lebowakgomo had revoked the young man’s birth certificate without providing any reasons whatsoever. The Public Protector has also directed the director-general to apologise in writing to the family because they suffered an inconvenience and prejudice and the law was not complied with.”
