The face of an invisible man (Pretoria News)

“I only have a face, I have no identity or nationality. I have no idea what to call myself. I just want to belong somewhere.”

This is the plight of a 20-year-old man, identified only as Adelin, who is a stateless person trying to make a living to support himself. But this is impossible, as no country recognises him as a citizen.

Adelin was born on February 14, 1992, in a refugee camp in Tanzania. He is the son of Burundian parents, although he has never met his father. Neither of his parents documented his birth. As an only child, he lived with his mother in the camp until she died in May 2003. Adelin then stayed with a neighbour, until she moved away.

“I had to look after myself and I left the camp with friends. I went with them to Mozambique, where a man gave me a job in his shop, although I was there illegally. When he left for Tanzania, I was again left destitute. I had nowhere to go and as Maputo was close to South Africa, I decided to come here.”

Adelin was a lonely teenager when he walked all the way to Durban in 2007.

“I had no birth certificate or any other papers. Up until then I never realised I needed papers or thought about it. All I was interested in was obtaining food and a place to sleep. When I got to Durban I was told by other people that I needed papers if I wanted a job.”

Adelin went to the office of the Department of Home Affairs, where he slept in a queue for three days to try to obtain refugee status.

“They said I was too young to apply for refugee status. I was turned away and I stayed in the country illegally for a year until I got my permit in 2008.

He said he had to lie about his age, as he was not 18 at the time.

“I gave someone R20 and told them to write anything on the eight-page application form. I got my asylum permit, but it does not help me much as I have no birth certificate or any other papers. I don’t belong anywhere, not here, not in Tanzania or Burundi. I am confused. I don’t know what to call myself.”

Adelin, who is clearly intelligent, said it was very hard to make a living without any documentation. He tries to do odd jobs from time to time, but nobody wanted to employ him as he had no papers. “My dream is to finish school and find a nice job, so that I can support myself.

“I have no family, I am alone and I have to lie to people. Without valid papers I cannot do anything. I cannot even be deported, as I belong to no country. This is not my fault. My only hope now is that Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) will be able to assist me.”

Jessica George, a legal counsellor at LHR, is trying to assist Adelin and to see whether he could possibly qualify for SA citizenship, but this process takes years. Meanwhile Adeline can’t work, study or leave the country, as he “belongs” nowhere. - Pretoria News