WEBVTT - Current Affairs: South Africans with blocked ID’s protest in Pretoria

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<v Speaker 1>Seven notes and Current Affairs. All right, that's kicked us

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<v Speaker 1>off on our current affairs feature. But let's speak about

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<v Speaker 1>what we are covering first in our current Affairs this evening,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's an important story that's been covered by ground Up.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you know that your id could be blocked for

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<v Speaker 1>whatever reason? Many reasons that Home Affairs has decided, and

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<v Speaker 1>they have been protests being held of people whose ideas

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<v Speaker 1>have been blocked. As a result, their lives have been

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<v Speaker 1>brought to an abrupt pause, to a standstill, and they

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<v Speaker 1>want that decision to be reversed. Ground Up has been

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<v Speaker 1>looking at the story, covering not just the marches, but

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<v Speaker 1>also this process by the Home Affairs Department. Silvas Via

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<v Speaker 1>is a journalist at ground Up and he joins us

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<v Speaker 1>in our lives. Good evening, Silver.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks Homo to hear, thanks for having me, and good

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<v Speaker 2>evening to your listeners.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe let's just start with I mean, in your investigation,

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<v Speaker 1>are you able to establish why the Home Office Department

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<v Speaker 1>embarks under blocking of certain people's ideas?

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<v Speaker 2>One of Firs has been in the process of blocking

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<v Speaker 2>a number of ideas for a number of years, from

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<v Speaker 2>the nineties and the two thousands has been doing that,

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<v Speaker 2>and they've been saying that they are looking at the

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<v Speaker 2>facts that some of them could be used as duplicates

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<v Speaker 2>one person during the same id others could be stolen

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<v Speaker 2>and be used by other people, and some people married

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<v Speaker 2>to other people that are not even aware of so,

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<v Speaker 2>and this could lead to a lot of scams and

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<v Speaker 2>things like that. So this way, we're being investigated for

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<v Speaker 2>this number of reasons. So this is the reason that

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<v Speaker 2>they're taken so long to actually get these people to

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<v Speaker 2>get their ideas being blogged.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, but the thing is that it seems Home Affairs

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<v Speaker 1>has been doing this without informing people. In fact, some

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<v Speaker 1>people will just be going about their lives and you

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<v Speaker 1>try to open a bank accounts or use your idea

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<v Speaker 1>for something, and you notified that it's invalid.

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<v Speaker 2>He is a number of people have been complaining about that, actually,

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<v Speaker 2>saying that most of the times they've been thinking everything

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<v Speaker 2>is normal until maybe they wanted to open a bank

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<v Speaker 2>account like you said, or change up bring their green

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<v Speaker 2>back cowarded IDA old ones and only to find out

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<v Speaker 2>that not no longer allowed to register the new smart

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<v Speaker 2>card ideas. And this has brought so much pain to

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<v Speaker 2>them their lives. They have been have been not moving

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<v Speaker 2>for a number of years now. Spoke to some of

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<v Speaker 2>the affected people across the country where the march, so

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<v Speaker 2>they're all saying the same thing, that they can move

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<v Speaker 2>forward to their lives. They can't find employment. Some children

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<v Speaker 2>they can't even access education, higher education when they need

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<v Speaker 2>to register the universities. Some they can't even register their companies.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's a situation where they only rely on informal

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<v Speaker 2>kind of employment. So, yeah, that there has been the situation.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And I think the problem here isn't that it's

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<v Speaker 1>you know, your eyea has been blocked and you must

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<v Speaker 1>just go get it unblocked. It's the fact that the

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<v Speaker 1>process of getting it unblocked is a literal nightmare.

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<v Speaker 2>No, yes, there is a nightmare. Some are saying that

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<v Speaker 2>they've been doing it for a number of years, more

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<v Speaker 2>than five ten years. One gentleman mentioned his name was

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<v Speaker 2>He mentioned that since ninety eight his idea has been

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<v Speaker 2>blocked and he was even deported out of the country.

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<v Speaker 2>And then he had amberg because I mean, he says

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<v Speaker 2>he's from here and Daviding, so the way he had

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<v Speaker 2>no business going away from the country. And then after

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<v Speaker 2>that he tried to get the document and there has

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<v Speaker 2>been stumbling block, and then this led to a number

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<v Speaker 2>of court cases, then Praetorda where civic organizations tried to

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<v Speaker 2>open the case actually and took the Department of from

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<v Speaker 2>A First to court try to find remedies for this.

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<v Speaker 2>And then the court rules in the last Dingy generary

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<v Speaker 2>that is going to give twelve months to the Department

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<v Speaker 2>of from A First to unblock these ideas. But the

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<v Speaker 2>response from the Department that has been saying that it

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<v Speaker 2>takes time. They need to make sure that they follow

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<v Speaker 2>the right process. They don't want to unblock the wrong documents.

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<v Speaker 2>At the time when it went to court, the number

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<v Speaker 2>was sitting at around seven hundred thousands of people who

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<v Speaker 2>were where the ID documents blocked.

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<v Speaker 1>And how many of them you don't have been successful

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<v Speaker 1>in getting it unblocked? Is it many?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes? At the time the Department said the total number

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<v Speaker 2>was one point eight a million, so around in military

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<v Speaker 2>was sitting at seven hundred thousand. It was taken to court,

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<v Speaker 2>so it looks like there's some movements, but seven number

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<v Speaker 2>is still a big number that affects a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>people because cern undred is only those who are directly

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<v Speaker 2>affected and the children if you find the number is

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<v Speaker 2>quite higher.

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<v Speaker 1>And what are some of the results and the effects

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<v Speaker 1>of having a blocked idea.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, like I said, you find people are struggling to

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<v Speaker 2>get even grants, those three hundred and fifty grants those

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<v Speaker 2>who are unemployed. And because we know a sut Africa

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<v Speaker 2>is higher employment rate, millions of people are alying on

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<v Speaker 2>those grants, but they find they can't even access them.

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<v Speaker 2>Some they don't even get an opportunity to put treat

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<v Speaker 2>the food in the university because of this. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>quite a number of reasons. Some that even when they

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<v Speaker 2>try to access health facilities unable to because they're being

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<v Speaker 2>told we don't know you, who are you. Some of

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<v Speaker 2>they were even sent back to their primary schools to

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<v Speaker 2>prove that indeed they are sort Afflican cities and so

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<v Speaker 2>they did that, followed all those processes because the way

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<v Speaker 2>they're spirit get the documents unblocked, but still years late,

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<v Speaker 2>they remain with no idea that they can use.

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<v Speaker 1>And what has been the response from home a SAE.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it seems as though they've been and tell

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<v Speaker 1>me if I'm reading this wrong, but it seems as

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<v Speaker 1>though that officials have been rather lax in speeding the

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<v Speaker 1>process up, particularly for people whose lives are being affected

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<v Speaker 1>so severely.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, the process has been slow. I mean this is

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<v Speaker 2>why a lot of people are crying and complaining about that.

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<v Speaker 2>Why is it taking so long? I mean during the

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<v Speaker 2>match somewhere even saying that we're giving them seventy two

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<v Speaker 2>hours to rectify this because all life has been spent still,

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<v Speaker 2>but the department only said they were responding seven days

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<v Speaker 2>give them a proper report. But going back to a

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<v Speaker 2>doctoral mutuality was the Minister form Affairs. They did say

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<v Speaker 2>that there are a number of issues that people are

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<v Speaker 2>being aware of, issues like Namibia or as part of

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<v Speaker 2>South Africa during our path day, so there's still a

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<v Speaker 2>number of people from that country who has still benefiting

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<v Speaker 2>from South Africa and terms of saving a sort of

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<v Speaker 2>can citizenship. At that time you said the number was

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<v Speaker 2>about seven thousand, so they needed to transfer that kind

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<v Speaker 2>of transfer the citizenship to totally for under Namibia. So

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<v Speaker 2>it was some of the issues that they highlighted at

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<v Speaker 2>the time. But they're saying that they will go and

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<v Speaker 2>need but people are saying that there's been too long.

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<v Speaker 2>They need to get their lives, they go one track and.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell me if I'm wrong Silver, But you know, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>imagine that when this happens to people and they need

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<v Speaker 1>to live life as you say, they need to register

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<v Speaker 1>for university, register for school, be able to write the

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<v Speaker 1>metric exams, get a bank account. Some find themselves or

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<v Speaker 1>end up resorting to you know, dodgy ways in order

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<v Speaker 1>to sort this up. You know, have your investigations revealed

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<v Speaker 1>any any people that have ended up, you know, going

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<v Speaker 1>the route of bribery in order to sort their papers out.

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<v Speaker 2>He is there were allegations of that nature, saying some

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<v Speaker 2>they paid around sixty five thousand from correct in terms

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<v Speaker 2>of number around that figure to get those IDs and

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<v Speaker 2>to get them to keep quiet so that they don't

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<v Speaker 2>make noise anymore. So it was allegations. It's not something

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<v Speaker 2>that we're able to prove, so it will take it

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<v Speaker 2>as an allegation that is opening. But knowing that corruption is

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<v Speaker 2>strife in that department, you can never rule that out

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<v Speaker 2>because anything is possible.

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<v Speaker 1>And according to your article, so that how the High

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<v Speaker 1>Court declared it unconstitutional for the department to block IDs

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<v Speaker 1>without notice. What does that mean? Does that mean that

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<v Speaker 1>well block ideas without notice. I should say that does

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<v Speaker 1>that mean homo fakes can continue to block, but they

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<v Speaker 1>must inform everyone.

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<v Speaker 2>So to tow us unconstitution to block at all. So

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<v Speaker 2>but if there's a situation where they're investigating, at least

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<v Speaker 2>they must inform them. But in this case many say

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<v Speaker 2>they were never informed. This led to this frustration or

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<v Speaker 2>surprise when they find out that the ideas were blocked.

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<v Speaker 2>So this is what we're complaining about. And also the

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<v Speaker 2>affects that children, they can't register the birth of their children.

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<v Speaker 2>But the court that at the times said that if

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<v Speaker 2>any it's under investigation, the children shouldn't be affected at list,

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<v Speaker 2>should be given citizenship or permanent residence and also get

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<v Speaker 2>the ID numbers while their partents documents are still being investigated.

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<v Speaker 2>So but this was never followed. So that's why the

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<v Speaker 2>court rule this was unlawful.

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<v Speaker 1>And from the people that you spoke to, particularly at

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<v Speaker 1>the march, I mean, I know that the perception oftentimes

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<v Speaker 1>is with instances like this, you know, many of the

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<v Speaker 1>people that are struggling are foreign nationals who are tried,

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<v Speaker 1>who you know, have had ideas that were illegally awarded.

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<v Speaker 1>But the people that you spoke to. Were maybe foreign

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<v Speaker 1>nationals or was it a lot of South Africans or

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<v Speaker 1>was it a mix.

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<v Speaker 2>From what I've picked up, some are locals, but some

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<v Speaker 2>are foreign nationals, but all saying that they are locals.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's ways maybe Department of Form Affairs can ever

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<v Speaker 2>elect to stand on. But there's something that they need

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<v Speaker 2>to clarify and be transparent about these kind of investigations

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<v Speaker 2>because some I believe majority of them are locals who

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<v Speaker 2>are being affected for no reason.

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<v Speaker 1>And it is the Department of Home Affairs saying they

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<v Speaker 1>are going to be addressing this as app.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what they're saying. But the way it looks, the

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<v Speaker 2>numbers still high, so it will take a little bit

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<v Speaker 2>of time before it can be resolved.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I was about to ask do they say when?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, at the didn't give time when will they finish

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<v Speaker 2>this process, but they could get them helved months which

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<v Speaker 2>ended ality around February, So yes, they're already behind the schedule.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, thank you so much for the story. Service.

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<v Speaker 1>Be a