⚠️ Extremely Disappointed With the South African Embassy in China & Home Affairs — Our Baby Still Has No Passport After 6 Months

I’m posting this out of absolute frustration and desperation. My South African daughter gave birth to her baby in China on 26 March 2025, and they have been trying to return home — but they cannot, because our own embassy and Home Affairs have failed them every step of the way.

Application submitted:
📅 13 May 2025
✔️ South African birth registration
✔️ South African passport for the baby
✔️ Passport renewal for her husband
💰 Cost: 498 RMB each (approx R1200 per application)
⏳ We were told: 4–6 months processing time.

Since then, it has been a nightmare.

🔹 Zero Communication

We have done multiple follow-ups with the embassy with little to no feedback. Most of the time, we receive no response at all.

🔹 Other people received theirs first

People who applied after us have already received their passports. Meanwhile, we are still waiting for our baby’s — with no explanation.

🔹 Husband’s passport arrived — baby’s did not

On 15 October, my daughter’s husband finally received his renewed passport. We were told the baby’s passport “did not arrive” — and the embassy repeatedly says they have no way to follow up.
How is it possible that our own embassy cannot track a South African baby’s application?

🔹 6-month mark passed — still nothing

On 12 November (the full 6 months), we were told:

“Not yet till now.”
No updates. No effort to investigate. No support.

🔹 Home Affairs says our baby is not even in the system

When we contacted Home Affairs directly in South Africa, we were told that:
➡️ Our baby is not in the system at all.
➡️ This means her passport application hasn’t even been started.
➡️ It may have been lost completely.

Yet the embassy continues to say, “There is no feedback.”
No accountability.
No refund.
No attempt to help resolve the situation.

🔹 How long must a newborn wait?

At this rate, we could be waiting 12 months or more while nobody investigates, updates, or assists.

This is unacceptable for any parent, any family, or any South African citizen abroad. My daughter and her newborn are stuck in a foreign country because the very systems meant to protect and support South Africans are failing them.

I am sharing this publicly in the hope that someone will finally take this seriously.

Dr Leon Amos Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs — we urgently need intervention.
Please help us.