Time running out for soccer boy
AN ASPIRING soccer player’s dream could be shattered if his passport woes are not fixed by the Department of Home Affairs.
George Maskini, a Grade 6 pupil from Sunnyside Primary in Athlone, was selected in May to take part in the Under-13 to15 Phuket Cup, an international youth soccer tournament in Thailand.
His teacher Nadia Charles spent the last five months raising funds for George. She raised R28 100.
George previously had a passport, but it expired in May. His mother Bampende said: “I applied for his passport in July and in that same month. I got a SMS saying they received my application, and then four weeks later I decided to follow up, and then they told me that it’s at the printing stage.”
She said that in September the Wynberg Home Affairs offices said the passport was still in the printing process. “I decided in October to come to the Cape Town offices so that I can get answers. The supervisor promised me that I would get the passport.”
Weeks later, she received shattering news. “My son told me that he received an email saying that he cannot apply for a travel document and that he has to apply for a passport.
“That same question I asked the staff at Wynberg and they told me ‘no’, it’s because I’m a permanent resident and therefore my son can’t apply for a passport,” Bampende said.
George’s parents are from the Democratic Republic of Congo and have permanent residency in the country. He was born in South Africa.
Charles, is gutted that months of hard work of finding donations may have been in vain. “This is the last thing that I expected, I didn’t expect this obstacle,” she said.
Two teams are set to leave for Phuket next week, and a travel document can take up to three weeks to obtain.
George is heartbroken as he is hoping to play in Thailand.
Mava Scott, spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, said: “There could be requirements that the child did not fulfil in a case like this.” He added that if the child meets the basic requirements he can get the travel document sooner.