Future uncertain for SA-born children

Children born in South Africa to undocumented migrant parents are facing an uncertain future, as questions over citizenship, documentation and repatriation continue to shape their lives.

Teen siblings Lorraine and Lawrence Ncube are among those caught in the middle. Born and raised in South Africa to undocumented Zimbabwean parents, the 18-year-old sister and her 16-year-old brother say being sent to Zimbabwe feels like being uprooted from the only home they have ever known.

The siblings are currently among thousands of migrants awaiting repatriation in Musina, after their family was displaced from Seshego village outside Polokwane last week when a mob chased them from their home. Their father fled the attack, while Lorraine, Lawrence and their mother are now preparing to leave South Africa.

For Lorraine, the move is especially painful. She is leaving with her four-month-old daughter, whose father is South African. “He wanted me to leave the child behind, but I couldn’t because it’s very hard to leave my child behind,” she said.

Although South African law requires every child born in the country to be registered within 30 days, nationality does not automatically follow birth on South African soil if the parents are foreign nationals. That leaves children born to undocumented migrants in a legal and emotional limbo, often with no immediate claim to South African citizenship despite having lived most or all of their lives in the country.

For the Ncube siblings, the prospect of repatriation has brought fear, frustration and uncertainty. Beyond the practical challenges of starting over in Zimbabwe, they worry about being treated as outsiders there too. Lawrence said they fear they may be declared undesirable persons by South Africa’s Home Affairs system, further complicating any future movement across the border.

There is also concern about how they will be received in Zimbabwe, where they say language and identity barriers may deepen their sense of displacement. Lawrence said he feels humiliated and frustrated by the idea of having to build a life in a country he barely knows. He also fears rejection because of the language they speak and because other Zimbabweans reportedly view them as outsiders.

The siblings’ experience reflects a broader challenge facing SA-born children of undocumented migrants: they are often raised with strong ties to South African communities, schools and social networks, yet remain vulnerable to deportation and administrative exclusion. In cases like these, the line between birthplace and belonging becomes painfully unclear.

As repatriation continues in Musina, the situation highlights the human cost of irregular migration and the unresolved status of many children born in South Africa to foreign parents. For the Ncube family, the future now lies across a border that feels both close and distant at the same time.