Parliament, Monday, 13 September – North West residents who attended the public hearings on the Children’s Amendment Bill (CAB) conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Social Development in Bojanala District Municipality hope that the Bill will help remove existing hurdles in documenting orphans and children born to foreign nationals.

The committee began the public hearings on the Bill in Bojanala District Municipality on Saturday. On Sunday, it went to Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.

During the public hearings, the committee heard that a significant number of children born to foreign nationals, as well as South African children whose parents have died did not have birth certificates. As a result, they miss out on benefiting from government social programmes, such as the child support grant and the early childhood development programme.

The committee recommended that the departments of Social Development, Home Affairs and Education should work together to address the issue of undocumented children.

In supporting the Bill, members of the public said they hoped that, once passed into law, it will help address challenges experienced by foster parents to get documentation for adopted orphans, and also make it easy for children of foreigners to get documents.

Operators of early childhood development centres told the committee that the issue of undocumented children is a serious problem in the district, as they are not allowed to register children without documentation.

Among other things, the Bill seeks to resolve challenges relating to foster care grant payments, parental responsibilities among unmarried parents, child marriages, children born to foreign parents and unaccompanied migrant children.

Today the committee will conduct public hearings in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality.

Details of the public hearings are as follows:
Date: 13 September 2021
District: Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality.
Venue: United Reformed Church in South Africa (Wolmaranstad)
Time: 10h00

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS NONKOSI MVANA.

For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairperson, please contact:
Name: Sakhile Mokoena
Cell: 081 705 2130
Email:smokoena@parliament.gov.za