7 ms·

My father (born in ZA) had to re-register his birth at 65 when emigrating to the UK on a visa. The ZA government had no record of his birth, despite him having

by stroebs 11mo ago

My father (born in ZA) had to re-register his birth at 65 when emigrating to the UK on a visa. The ZA government had no record of his birth, despite him having a drivers license, passport, tax returns for 40+ years… This is the least bit surprising coming from a country that is in steady decline.

bloak 11mo ago
Do you know why the British authorities wanted a birth certificate? Did his ZA passport show date and place of birth? Did the ZA birth certificate have some other information that the British authorities specifically wanted, like the names of the parents? Or were the authorities just following some standard procedure with no obvious purpose?
- Antifa4HN 11mo ago
  [dead]
- stroebs 11mo ago
  One of the basic requirements for an ancestry visa.
CaptainOfCoit 11mo ago
FWIW, I moved to a European country about 20 years ago. The first 10 years I thought everything was fine, but once I was applying for something, they said that it seemed like I never actually properly entered the system, but had just began. Most public services worked alright regardless. Cue some confusion for a while, and some filled forms later, and I finally got legally approved and finalized to actually stay, ten years after I initially arrived. Bureaucracy can be crazy at times, and sometimes it seems like data just gets lost, for whatever reason.
- pjc50 11mo ago
  > they said that it seemed like I never actually properly entered the system, but had just began Can be quite a risk for people who entered a long time ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal > Bureaucracy can be crazy at times, and sometimes it seems like data just gets lost, for whatever reason. The easiest way of reconciling data with reality if the rules don't allow changing the data is to change reality. By deporting people.
mad_tortoise 11mo ago
Fascinating you say "a country that is in steady decline" when all the data of the past 29 years since the start of democracy seems to go against that statement. I hate the ANC for their corruption and other stances, but I don't let party political hate get in the way of the real basis of what is going on in the country. I'm guessing you haven't spent much time there? Whereas I have spent the past 25 years and travelled and lived extensively in South Africa. What is your indication of decline? Some facts and figures: - Less than 30% of the population having access to water has increased to near 100%. - Electricity had less than 30% access and now sits around 90% - Access to education (The matric pass rate more than doubled from 53.4 in 1995 to 82.9 in 2023) to taking that to near 100% in 29 years is pretty incredible. - Taking 8 million people out of poverty and lower class into the middle class in that time is pretty great. - Access to free healthcare for the entire country. - The freedom of not being discriminated towards due to skin colour. Yes the ANC has had an opportunity to do much greater good, but if you take in the bigger picture and understand that the white population still holds over 70% of the wealth while being 10% of the population - this is an enforced inequality that needs to be righted. If you look at the freedoms of South Africa, it has possibly the best constitution in the world. Sure, the enforcement of the laws are not as good as the laws themselves - but the rate of improvement in my lifetime has been staggering. Even despite the setback of the Zuma years. Even now, we have gone from an ANC dominated political landscape to a Government of National Unity, which forces different political factions to work together. Another huge milestone in the burgeoning democracy of a young country. It is so far from perfect but if you really have spent any significant time in SA and still think it is a country in decline, then I am more inclined to think you're one of the types of expats who love to shit on something that you have no bond to, and not because your arguments are bound by facts. We must interrogate the long standing consequences of white monopoly capitals violent subjugation of South Africans in both the past and the present to paint a fair picture of the country. Your quote " a country that is in steady decline." certainly does not paint a fair picture.
- shswkna 11mo ago
  [flagged]
  - 11mo ago
returningfory2 11mo ago
What is ZA? Zambia?
- botanical 11mo ago
  ISO 3166-2 code for South Africa. It's from Dutch: Zuid-Afrika. It's used quite often to refer to South Africa; RSA or SA is also used.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 11mo ago
    "SA" is ambiguous. People do use to to refer to "South Australia" (the state) or also "Saudi Arabia" ISO 3166-2 country code. ZA is not ambiguous, it has that going for it.
    - botanical 11mo ago
      True, but I meant in South Africa, SA is the most used. Less so with RSA or ZAR. ZA is somewhat used but SA (I would say) dominates in conversation and in written text.
- SideburnsOfDoom 11mo ago
  "ZA" is the standard two-letter country code for South Africa. in the same code list, "SA" refers to Saudi Arabia, and Zambia is "ZM". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2
- ciconia 11mo ago
  Zuid-Afrika, which means south Africa in Dutch. ZA remains the country's country code.
  - koakuma-chan 11mo ago
    South Africa is a country?
    - 11mo ago
deleted 11mo ago
[deleted]
botanical 11mo ago
By what metric is it in "steady decline"? As as South African, it's amusing to see how my country is generalised.
- badc0ffee 11mo ago
  One thing that comes to mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis
  - botanical 11mo ago
    Load shedding hasn't been a problem for a while now. With proper maintenance of the coal stations and investments in solar, we haven't had it in Winter either. But you're right, it's always lurking. With increased renewable energy, and less reliance on coal, hopefully it stays in the past. https://african.business/2025/10/energy-resources/has-south-africa-said-goodbye-to-blackouts-for-good https://african.business/2025/10/energy-resources/has-south-...
- foxyv 11mo ago
  Wealth inequality has increased in South Africa, similar to other countries. But their vagueness makes the statement impossible to test.

by stroebs 11mo ago

bloak 11mo ago

Do you know why the British authorities wanted a birth certificate? Did his ZA passport show date and place of birth? Did the ZA birth certificate have some other information that the British authorities specifically wanted, like the names of the parents? Or were the authorities just following some standard procedure with no obvious purpose?

Antifa4HN 11mo ago
[dead]
stroebs 11mo ago
One of the basic requirements for an ancestry visa.

CaptainOfCoit 11mo ago

FWIW, I moved to a European country about 20 years ago. The first 10 years I thought everything was fine, but once I was applying for something, they said that it seemed like I never actually properly entered the system, but had just began. Most public services worked alright regardless. Cue some confusion for a while, and some filled forms later, and I finally got legally approved and finalized to actually stay, ten years after I initially arrived. Bureaucracy can be crazy at times, and sometimes it seems like data just gets lost, for whatever reason.

pjc50 11mo ago
> they said that it seemed like I never actually properly entered the system, but had just began Can be quite a risk for people who entered a long time ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windrush_scandal > Bureaucracy can be crazy at times, and sometimes it seems like data just gets lost, for whatever reason. The easiest way of reconciling data with reality if the rules don't allow changing the data is to change reality. By deporting people.

mad_tortoise 11mo ago

Fascinating you say "a country that is in steady decline" when all the data of the past 29 years since the start of democracy seems to go against that statement. I hate the ANC for their corruption and other stances, but I don't let party political hate get in the way of the real basis of what is going on in the country. I'm guessing you haven't spent much time there? Whereas I have spent the past 25 years and travelled and lived extensively in South Africa. What is your indication of decline? Some facts and figures: - Less than 30% of the population having access to water has increased to near 100%. - Electricity had less than 30% access and now sits around 90% - Access to education (The matric pass rate more than doubled from 53.4 in 1995 to 82.9 in 2023) to taking that to near 100% in 29 years is pretty incredible. - Taking 8 million people out of poverty and lower class into the middle class in that time is pretty great. - Access to free healthcare for the entire country. - The freedom of not being discriminated towards due to skin colour. Yes the ANC has had an opportunity to do much greater good, but if you take in the bigger picture and understand that the white population still holds over 70% of the wealth while being 10% of the population - this is an enforced inequality that needs to be righted. If you look at the freedoms of South Africa, it has possibly the best constitution in the world. Sure, the enforcement of the laws are not as good as the laws themselves - but the rate of improvement in my lifetime has been staggering. Even despite the setback of the Zuma years. Even now, we have gone from an ANC dominated political landscape to a Government of National Unity, which forces different political factions to work together. Another huge milestone in the burgeoning democracy of a young country. It is so far from perfect but if you really have spent any significant time in SA and still think it is a country in decline, then I am more inclined to think you're one of the types of expats who love to shit on something that you have no bond to, and not because your arguments are bound by facts. We must interrogate the long standing consequences of white monopoly capitals violent subjugation of South Africans in both the past and the present to paint a fair picture of the country. Your quote " a country that is in steady decline." certainly does not paint a fair picture.

shswkna 11mo ago
[flagged]
- 11mo ago

returningfory2 11mo ago

What is ZA? Zambia?

botanical 11mo ago
ISO 3166-2 code for South Africa. It's from Dutch: Zuid-Afrika. It's used quite often to refer to South Africa; RSA or SA is also used.
- SideburnsOfDoom 11mo ago
  "SA" is ambiguous. People do use to to refer to "South Australia" (the state) or also "Saudi Arabia" ISO 3166-2 country code. ZA is not ambiguous, it has that going for it.
  - botanical 11mo ago
    True, but I meant in South Africa, SA is the most used. Less so with RSA or ZAR. ZA is somewhat used but SA (I would say) dominates in conversation and in written text.
SideburnsOfDoom 11mo ago
"ZA" is the standard two-letter country code for South Africa. in the same code list, "SA" refers to Saudi Arabia, and Zambia is "ZM". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2
ciconia 11mo ago
Zuid-Afrika, which means south Africa in Dutch. ZA remains the country's country code.
- koakuma-chan 11mo ago
  South Africa is a country?
  - 11mo ago

deleted 11mo ago

[deleted]

botanical 11mo ago

By what metric is it in "steady decline"? As as South African, it's amusing to see how my country is generalised.

badc0ffee 11mo ago
One thing that comes to mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis
- botanical 11mo ago
  Load shedding hasn't been a problem for a while now. With proper maintenance of the coal stations and investments in solar, we haven't had it in Winter either. But you're right, it's always lurking. With increased renewable energy, and less reliance on coal, hopefully it stays in the past. https://african.business/2025/10/energy-resources/has-south-africa-said-goodbye-to-blackouts-for-good https://african.business/2025/10/energy-resources/has-south-...
foxyv 11mo ago
Wealth inequality has increased in South Africa, similar to other countries. But their vagueness makes the statement impossible to test.