By Kimberly Mutandiro<\/p>\n
It is 10am and nine-year-old Michael is begging at a set of traffic lights in Johannesburg. Most children his age are back at school after the holidays. But Michael is undocumented.<\/p>\n
Michael has not been in school since 2021, when he used to attend a private school. His family could not afford to keep him there, and the school had also given him notice that he must show some documentation if he was to continue classes.<\/p>\n
His two siblings, and their mother, a widow, sometimes join Michael at the robots to beg from motorists. They usually spread out to increase their chances of getting something.<\/p>\n
Michael and one of his sisters were born in South Africa. The younger one was born in Zimbabwe but came to South Africa as a baby. The older used to attend school but the younger one has never been to school.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you not in school?\u201d motorists have asked. The children don\u2019t know how to answer. They want to go to school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be in school but my mother says we have no papers. Standing at the robots is boring, but we have no choice, because we need food,\u201d says Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot being able to send my children to school is heartbreaking. My children have neither Zimbabwean nor South African papers because we have been in Johannesburg for a long time,\u201d says Michael\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
The online school placement system requires documents to register, so parents go in person to schools, door to door, only to be turned away. Michael\u2019s mother tried several public schools but they insisted she bring documents.<\/p>\n