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Answers to your questions

Have a question you would like answered? Email us and we may answer it. The questions here are based on ones from our readers, with identifying information removed.

Please note: GroundUp is just a news agency. We are not lawyers or financial advisors, and we have nothing to do with SASSA, Home Affairs, or any other government bodies. We do our best to make the answers accurate using publicly available information, but we cannot accept any legal liability if there are errors. If you notice any discrepancies, please email info@groundup.org.za.

My father died in 2006. He worked as a miner at Harmony Gold. Can I claim from the Tshiamiso Trust?

Yes, if your father was medically diagnosed with silicosis or TB before he died.

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Can I apply for my newborn's birth certificate if I am still waiting for Home Affairs to verify my fingerprints?

Probably not. You can ask Home Affairs if they can expedite your fingerprint verification.

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Why have I still not heard back from Home Affairs regarding my appeal for my rejected letter of good cause?

There is a huge backlog at Home Affairs, so the acting Director-General extended existing permits for those who applied or appealed before 20 November 2023.

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Can I get South African citizenship by descent if I was born in another country?

Yes, but you may need to prove that you are the biological child of a South African citizen.

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How can I compel my ex to pay maintenance if he lives overseas?

Unless the country has a reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders agreement with South Africa, you may need to hire a family lawyer in that country to help you.

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Am I still entitled to my inheritance after my mother's death if my stepfather took everything and remarried?

I think you could make a strong case, in terms of intestate succession, as you were her child, and the new wife had no relationship with her.

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Do I have any rights to fight for my grandmother's house, which her son, my uncle, has since sold?

If you were one of the dependents named in her RDP application, this would not give you the right to inherit the house.

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Is it possible to transfer an RDP application from one province to another?

Unfortunately not. If your application was not approved or if it was approved but you never received a house, you can cancel your application and submit a new one somewhere else.

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How can I stay in the country if my visa and passport have expired and my new passport has not arrived yet?

It might be possible to make a "legalisation application" to Home Affairs. You should speak to a lawyer as soon as possible.

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If someone gave you their title deed before their death, would you have rights to the house even if your name is not on the deed?

Unfortunately, your name has to be on the title deed for it to count. If there was no will, the law of intestate succession would apply.

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