First a South African, next an American

On July 4th I traveled to Pretoria's business district where the hub of government offices are also located to obtain Grant's South African birth certificate.  Prior to this I was informed from other expat's here about a service that will complete the process for you for a fee.  I contacted the company and one week after Grant's birth met a representative who I of course had to pay in cash, $62 to obtain the birth certificate for us.  We had heard that going through this process yourself as a non-South African can be quite tedious so if there is an easier way for not alot of money, I am all for it.

After completing the paperwork which was only a few pages and paying our fee we waited to hear back form the representative which took about 6 weeks.  She stated the process had now changed and we had to go in person to the Department of Home Affairs office to obtain the birth certificate.  It was nice that only one parent had to go and Grant did not have to either, as it was quite the experience I would not have wanted to bring Grant too.

Despite finding the Department of Home Affairs office online through Google Maps, I still managed to get lost with my GPS.  Of course there was a good supply of helpful unofficial parking attendants waving me down to park in their area and offer directions.  Against my better judgement, I rolled down my window and asked one of them who said he would personally show me the way after I park in his area.  So I turned down a side street, parked my car, paid him the equivalent of $4, and he walked me to the top of the street to give directions.  Before we said our goodbyes he of course asked me if I wanted him to wash my car, which is always a staple question in Africa, and like always I declined (where was this guy going to get car washing supplies in the middle of the street anyways, but they are always resourceful so no doubt people take them up on their offer). Walking down the road I received many stares from others passing by, mostly because of the color of my skin which made me stand out.  I managed to get lost even walking so I called the representative and she helped me find the way.

 Entering the Department of Home Affairs, which was beyond crowded and chaotic, the representative told me that we were meeting a guy who was "not with it this morning, I don't think he has had his caffeine".  Well, I don't think he was with it because quite frankly he kind of looked dead.  I guess he deserves praise for managing to hold down a job, but it was surprising he could even stay seated on his stool.  Which brings me to his office, located in the hallway right outside the bathroom.  He had a TV tray and a stool with a plaque on the wall stating his name and position.  Grocery store ads covered the tray where there was a finger print pad.  The rep handed him a paper, he proceeded to roll my prints but given that his hands suffered from the shakes, I kindly did them myself.  It worked out well that his office was right outside the bathroom as that is where we headed next to clean my hands.

Up next we ventured upstairs to the next office where I sat and waited while the rep did all the work.  She came back within about 20 minutes with a hand written birth certificate, only they spelled Mark's name wrong so it had to be redone.  A little while later, I received another hand written one and we were done.  I asked about the form to which she said all birth certificates are now hand written and I need to treat this one as gold because I can't get another one.  Walking out of the building there was now a line around the corner, with armed guards at the door as the building had now reached it's capacity and was one in one out.

I am not sure what loops I would of had to jump through to get Grant's birth certificate myself so I don't know if my $62 was worth it or not, but given that the process was quick and I arrived back home alive it was all worth it.  I managed to find my car, which the car guard said he had to bribe the police not to tow it so he needed me to pay him more money for watching it, but I have come accustomed to these claims and find them comical whether true or not.  So with a little more "tip" money, I was off and did not get lost on my way home.

Grant is not technically a South African citizen, nor will he gain any citizenship rights or a South African passport, this is just one step in getting him an American birth certificate, American passport, Visa, and Social Security number.  I am interested to see how the American system over here measures up to back home in the states.  You probably can't beat the system of leaving your baby's birth certificate paperwork at the hospital after birth and them processing it for you to receiving the birth certificate in the mail a few weeks later in America.  For now, we have no plans to leave South Africa to travel until next year when Grant is free to move about the world.