Birth registration

Deputy President Jacob Zuma, Kwa Zulu-Natal Premier, Dr Lionel Mtshali and Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF at the launch of the birth registration unit at the Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi, Kwa Zulu-Natal, June 2003

South Africa’s constitution enshrines the right to a name and nationality for all citizens. However, estimates from several studies show that of the 18.3 million children under the age of 18 years, only half are registered with birth certificates. South Africa has a high orphan population, for whom having a birth certificate is a necessary safety net providing them with access to social security and poverty alleviation programmes.

UNICEF advocates for a strategy that begins with ensuring that children are registered at birth or immediately thereafter. In 2003, South Africa’s Deputy President, Mr. Jacob Zuma and UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy launched the first ever hospital-based birth registration initiative at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in Umlazi in Kwa Zulu-Natal paving the way for stronger partnerships to achieve a larger number of registered children. This can only be achieved by making sure that integrated registration mechanisms and systems are in place at public hospitals where, it is estimated, at least 88 per cent of the country’s babies are born.

An average of forty children are born per day at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, which was selected as the pilot site for the birth registration project. Plans are now underway for a national roll-out of an on-line registration system at other large public hospitals. Since October 2004, the Government of South Africa has established on-line birth registration systems in three large hospitals in Kwa Zulu Natal, the countries largest province, at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, Ghandi Memorial Hospital and King Edward VIII Hospital. These hospitals serve large, previously disadvantaged populations in peri-urban and rural areas where poverty and unemployment are high. In addition, on-line registration facilities have been launched in big public hospitals in Limpopo and North West Provinces with the target of reaching all public hospitals in the next three years.

Benefits to children, parents and the country

Progress reports indicate that all mothers who possessed correct documents were able to leave hospital with their baby’s birth certificates. Those who cannot register their children on-site are given a period of two to six weeks to return and register the children when they come back for the baby’s immunisation procedures.

Registering children at their place of birth also relieves poor mothers who qualify for social security grants of having to find money for transportation to a Home Affairs office to apply for the birth certificate. Besides the poor accessing social services, other benefits accrue to the entire country because of the impact on macro-economic planning since the population records will begin to reflect all its children.

How UNICEF adds value

UNICEF is assisting with the birth registration initiative through the national roll out of the hospital on-line registration, and works with government and civil society partners on strategies to facilitate late registration of children. UNICEF is also helping with a much needed community education and awareness campaign on the value and importance of birth registration.