Home Affairs registration drive for newborn babies
The Department of Home Affairs will be offering birth registration services over Human Rights Day weekend at health facilities nationwide.
The drive is aimed at assisting parents to register their children within 30 days of birth as is required by the law.
"Anyone who is registerd gets to be a citizen and is then able to access all services offered by both government and the private sector," explains the department’s Siya Qoza.
"By registering births immediately or within the first 30 days of such births, parents contribute in promoting their children’s human rights.
"Birth registration marks the beginning of the fulfillment of the constitutional right to citizenship and protects the child’s right to a name and a nationality at birth.
"Failure to register the child is tantamount to the denial of the child’s right to citizenship."
This is the second weekend that the department is extending registration services.
"During the first weekend of the registration drive on 13 March 2021, there were 2 060 births registered," says Qoza.
"Home Affairs officials will be at offices at health facilities from 08:00 until 15:00 daily, on 20 to 22 March."
People who plan to make use of this service should adhere to Covid-19 safety regulations.
"Nobody will be assisted if they are not wearing their masks properly,” warns Qoza.
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