By Idriss LAWAL
Two confused teenagers are still battling with the intriguing possibility of deportation from the country of their birth.
Lorraine Ncube, 18, and her 16-year-old brother, Lawrence, born to a Zimbabwean mother and South African father, are now forced to leave following the ongoing clampdown on illegal migrants.
South Africa’s Home Affairs clarifies that children born to illegal foreigners in South Africa don’t automatically get citizenship, as undocumented Zimbabwean teenage siblings refuse to be repatriated.
It said even their South African father does not guarantee them automatic citizenship unless they are properly documented.
Lorraine and Lawrence said they have lived their entire lives in South Africa and fear an uncertain future if returned to Zimbabwe.
The siblings form part of ongoing repatriation processes involving undocumented foreign nationals across the country. They say they are worried about education, accommodation, and long-term stability if they are relocated. Home Affairs spokesperson Albert Matsaung addressed the matter in Musina, where authorities are processing migrants as repatriation operations continue.
Matsaung said officials had confirmed that the mother of the 18-year-old is in South Africa illegally and that the 18-year-old also has no legal status in the country.
ALSO READ; Day Ramaphosa endorsed xenophobic attacks
He said the department would allow the mother to complete the birth registration process through the South African father before any further steps regarding documentation are considered.
“Confirmation that we have received is that the mother… is currently illegal in the country.
The mother does not have any legal status to be in the Republic. The 18-year-old also does not have legal status to be in the Republic,” Matsaung said.
He added that once birth registration is completed, authorities will consider the passport process, and if both parents agree, the child can travel to Zimbabwe as a visitor using an unabridged birth certificate.
Matsaung also stated that the Zimbabwean government remains responsible for documenting the mother and that the Zimbabwean embassy has been engaged to assist with the matter. He added that the South African father also has a responsibility to ensure the child is properly documented, despite his request that the child should not be taken to Zimbabwe.
The department reiterated that a child cannot automatically become a South African citizen if neither parent is a South African citizen.
Home Affairs said no changes have been made to existing citizenship laws and that authorities will continue enforcing immigration and documentation regulations as repatriation and border-related operations continue in northern Limpopo.
