Durban - Four months and an urgent court application later, four Durban pupils, whose trip to the US to take part in a literary competition had been under threat because some did not have the required documentation, have now been cleared for lift off.
Less than three hours after agreeing to an order granted by Durban High Court Judge Graham Lopes that it provide their parents with unabridged birth certificates by the end of this month, the Department of Home Affairs sent a message saying they were ready for collection.
The four pupils are due to leave for Connecticut on July 4.
Had they not made the urgent court application on Thursday, it seemed unlikely they would have received the documents in time because, sources at court said, the documentation lodged with the department in February for certificates had been mislaid.
But apparently the documents have since been found, as word was passed from the department to the state attorney’s office before close of business yesterday that there was no longer any need to fill in new forms because the certificates were ready for collection.
Thursday’s application had been launched by Jonathan and Kerry Katz and Pashian and Reneika Rajoo. They are the parents of Manor Gardens Primary School pupils Ezra Katz and twins Saneha and Tejal Rajoo who, along with a fourth pupil, William Humphrey, won the regional and then the national rounds of the Lit Quiz, qualifying them for the international competition.
While William already had an unabridged birth certificate, the parents of the other three - mindful of new visa requirements being introduced regarding children travelling in and out of South Africa from June 1 - applied for the documents in February.
But in spite of numerous promises, nothing had been forthcoming.
The children are all travelling with their mothers. In terms of the new rules, they must have a “full” birth certificate reflecting the names of both parents and an affidavit of consent from the non-travelling parent.
When the matter was called before Judge Lopes on Thursday, advocate Stuart Humphreys, acting for the parents, said the application had not been served on the respondents because a receptionist at the office of the state attorney had refused to accept it.
After the matter stood down, a representative of the state attorney’s office arrived at court and agreed to the order after telephone discussions with Home Affairs officials who indicated they could and would comply.
The Mercury