By Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
- A Zimbabwean mother in Limpopo finally finds a school for her two children after years of being turned away due to a lack of documents.
- The Basic Education Laws Amendment Act now allows all children to attend school in South Africa.
Memory Moyo’s eyes light up with joy because, after years of trying, her two children will finally go to school.
The 36-year-old Zimbabwean mother lives in Mpheni village near Elim, Limpopo. She has been in South Africa for more than 20 years, but her children, aged eight and six, have never been to school because they don’t have papers.
That changed on Monday when a primary school in Elim agreed to take both children.
“I am happy, and I cannot describe how I am feeling. I have finally managed to find a school for my children after being turned away in 2023 and 2024 at several public primary schools in Elim due to not having proper documentation,” said Moyo.
Her oldest child should have started school three years ago. But Moyo says she’s just grateful they can start now, even if they must begin in Grade R.
“A friend of mine who is also a Zimbabwean told me on Monday that his child was admitted at that particular primary school without having any documentation and I quickly rushed to the same school that day,” she said.
“When I got there they told me that they still have space for my kids but they will have to start from Grade R despite their age and I am fine with that. All I want is for them to get some education.”
The school told Moyo her children could start next week on Monday, giving her time to buy uniforms and school supplies. She is employed as a domestic worker in Louis Trichardt.
Moyo, who now speaks Tshivenda fluently, hopes her children can finish school in South Africa. They were born here and have never been to Zimbabwe.
“Since I came to South Africa with some relatives as a teenager I have never been to Zimbabwe. But I am now grateful that my children have an opportunity to study – something I was deprived of at home (Zimbabwe) as I only did my primary education but never reached secondary level,” she said.
The Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, signed in September 2024, says schools must accept children without documents. But many schools still turn these kids away.
Equal Education Law Centre researcher Daniel Peter Al-Naddaf said all children have the right to go to school in South Africa, with or without papers.
“This has been the position since 2019. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) was informed back in 2020 to allow all undocumented children to enrol in public schools. The only new thing is that the DBE was again informed to re-issue another circular last year to inform all schools again to accommodate undocumented children,” said Al-Naddaf.
He says a child’s best interests come first in South African law.
“Any child is allowed to register and enrol at a school and to also receive a matric certificate regardless of their documentation status. There are many reasons why a child can be undocumented in South Africa. Some of the undocumented children are South African citizens.”
Pictured above: Mulweli Primary School in Elim, which is among the schools that have already started enrolling undocumented learners.
Source: Supplied
