Home Affairs has left a quarter of a million people waiting years for birth certificates

At least a quarter of a million people have been waiting years for their applications
for late birth registration to be processed. And this is a conservative estimate, the
Children’s Institute says in its papers filed with the Western Cape High Court. The
court application seeks to put the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on terms to
take action to tackle the backlog. The institute, represented by the Legal Resources
Centre, says the department’s tardy approach to this issue, which affects
fundamental rights of children and their parents and caregivers, must be declared
unconstitutional. Phemelo speaks to Senior Attorney at the Legal Resources Centre,
Cecile van Schalkwyk.