35 CHILDREN DENIED PINS, CAN’T GO TO SCHOOL

MBABANE – Without a personal identification number (PIN) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, it is nearly impossible for one to  be availed government services.

However, 35 children, despite the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thuli Dladla recently intervening in their situation, have been denied PINs. The children, mainly at Vuvulane, under Mhlume Inkhundla are among many children in the country who are not able to acquire PINs for various reasons. Recently, following a story by the Times of Eswatini News that children at an area known as Mgidzangcunu at Vuvulane, were not able to attend school as they did not have PINs, the DPM, sprang into action.

With assistance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, means were made to ensure that these children were able to acquire birth certificates, which also contain PINs. It is through this document that as they grow older, they can use them to acquire identity documents (ID) and passports for travel.PINs can also be used to register for free primary education (FPE), get medical assistance and also use government services that are available to the public. Also, other private services such as banking require one to a have an ID which cannot be obtained without a PIN.

Difficult

Noteworthy, many people at Vuvulane do not have PINs, including the elderly, such that this has also made it difficult for their children or grandchildren to acquire the same.
Mambazo Mabuza, the Bucopho of Vuvulane, under Mhlume Inkhundla revealed that despite that the DPM had intervened when concerns were raised about children who did not have PINs, they were not assisted. He said they were instead turned back by the Ministry of Home Affairs officials. He said as a result, they were not attending school.

Noteworthy, to assist children who were not attending school, government, through various departments, constructed a school at Maphiveni near Simunye, to assist the children at Vuvulane and surrounding areas. These are the children who the Times of Eswatini News article reported on. It was highlighted that many were not going to school and instead, the girls particularly were falling pregnant. Despite the construction of the school, only a few of the pupils enrolled and the others could not continue as they did not have PINs.

Mabuza said this is a challenge because without the PINs, it is as if the children did not exist. He said the children are as young as six years old and that at this age, they should have enrolled at primary school.The bucopho further noted that the mopping exercise by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which was meant to assist the children, did not. He said when the activity was initiated, it was announced that for children who did not have parents, but were born in the country, they could be assisted if the umphakatsi could confirm that they were born in the area.

Assistance

Mabuza said despite the children having all the necessary documents, they were turned back and that it is now difficult to get assistance for them.  He said such children will grow up not having documents and that they will not be employable. He said this is the reason why the community had social issues such as unemployment and even engagement in sex work.
Further, Mabuza said officials at the births, marriages and deaths (BMD) registration under the Ministry of Home Affairs told him that they were also following the law and that a PIN could only be issued to a person who qualified.

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