By Mayeni Jones<\/p>\n
Many people may take their birth certificate, or similar official papers, for granted – hidden in a drawer and rarely seeing the light of day – but for those without one, it can lead to a shadow life or an uncertain existence.<\/p>\n
This is thought to affect millions of people around the world, described as stateless, and 25-year-old South African Arnold Ncube is one of those.<\/p>\n
Because he has no state-issued documents, washing cars in the backstreets of Thembisa township near Johannesburg is one of the few ways he can make a living.<\/p>\n
He was born in Johannesburg and his father is South African, qualifying him for citizenship here. But when he tried to register for secondary school, he realised he didn’t have a birth certificate.<\/p>\n
Having been abandoned by his parents – his dad left before he was born and his mum when he was 14 – he could not prove his status.<\/p>\n
“It’s a painful thing,” he says. “You’re basically invisible. You don’t exist. It’s like you’re living in the shadows. You don’t have a bank account, you can’t apply for a decent job that you can earn a living with.”<\/p>\n