Two Long Battles Come to an End

Please pause for a moment and think of yourself as a young 19-year-old man that just finished high school with his degree and is looking forward to getting on to the next stage of his life. Unfortunately, one barrier will keep you from getting a job, getting a driver’s license, or being able to register and apply to enter College/University. You won’t even be able to get your official graduation document to show that you graduated high school. This faces many young South African men and causes them to feel defeated, lost, sometimes homeless, and other challenges. What causes this, you ask? The lack of a South African ID.

A little bit of SA history here. It wasn’t until 1986 that non-whites were considered SA citizens and had no rights. For some time after that, it had been a significant burden and risk to be registered as a non-white person. But after 1994, with the election of President Nelson Mandela, birth registration became not only an option but a chance for millions to gain access to services and rights they had long been denied. Everything revolves around that birth certificate. And it is that birth certificate you must have to get a South African ID.

WELLLLLLL……drum roll, please. Giving all glory and praise to God, I am excited to tell you that this past month Lebo and Hlalefang each received their Birth Certificates! It has been three years of working on these in two different countries. Lebo from SA and Hlalefang received his from Lesotho along with his ID. Hlalefang was also able to get his Lesotho ID the next day. Lebo should get his ID in 4-6 weeks. The amazing thing is that they both happened in the same month. I think we owe that to everyone’s prayers. God is so good. More to come on what is next for them.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at jheffner@unashamedsa.com.