Are you sure you are SINGLE?

Are you sure that you are still not married? If you are not sure go to the nearest Home Affairs offices to check if you are still single.  Quite a number of South Africans, particularly women have been married to foreigners without their knowledge. In most cases, this happens in situations where foreigners wanted to apply for permanent South African citizenship.  This is because a foreigner who marries a South African, can become a naturalised South African citizen.  

 

Since August last year, the Department of Home Affairs has been making people aware of illegal marriages.  This has been done through community and national radio stations, advertisements on television and spreading the message during izimbizo. The Department’s director of external communication Leslie Mashokwe told Vuk’uzenzele that in the past five years 5 081

 illegal marriages have been identified. He said in the last year, 232 127 people have asked for marital status checks.   

 

“We would like to appeal to all South Africans citizens to protect their identity documents (IDs) at all times. We also ask them not to sign documents without making sure what the papers are for. This will help to reduce the number of illegal marriages,” Mashokwe said.  

 

He said if anyone found they were illegally married, they should report the matter to the nearest police station.  The victim should hand over a statement made at the police station to Home Affairs so it could fully investigate. He said people who have been illegally married, particularly to foreigners, did not have to look for assistance from lawyers.  Justice Mohale 

 

 

The North West government opened the first Road Wellness Centre as part of the Trucking against Aids Project in Zeerust. Health MEC Nomonde Rasmeni said the truck industry was at high risk due to HIV and AIDS.  “It is our the duty to protect the industry, as well as the people relying on it,” she said. The Trucking Against AIDS Project makes truck drivers and sex workers more aware of HIV and AIDS and STI (sexually transmitted infections). Eight Centres have been opened along major routes in South Africa. These clinics provide HIV and AIDS education, primary health care, STI treatment and condom distribution. Every clinic has a nurse, who also works in the rural communities near the centres. BuaNews