​Life can be very difficult for a stateless child who is not recognised as a national of any country in the world. A major contributing factor to this state of affairs is the inability of women to pass on their nationality status to their children due to their gender. In her research, Takalanga Maziya from the Department of Private Law at Stellenbosch University tries to develop a framework that can help to address this.

As part of South Africa's Women's Month celebrations, she tells us more about her work.

Tell us more about your research

I am specifically looking at what South Africa's obligation is towards stateless children. A stateless child is a child who does not have any form of legal documentation and is not recognised as a national of any country in the world. Such children find it difficult to access education, health services and social grants. The problem with statelessness is that being stateless means you have no legal connection to any state in the world. This makes it difficult to exercise the most basic human rights like any other person who has a nationality status. Children can become stateless due to a number of factors including lack of birth registration, internal displacement and gender discrimination in nationality laws.

South Africa does not have a framework that addresses the needs and rights of stateless children.  Through my research, I hope to develop a framework that not only brings light to the issue of statelessness, but that also provides solutions as to how South Africa can prevent and end childhood statelesness.

Why or how did you become interested in this specific area of research?

I have always wanted to do research in an area of law where I felt I could make the most impact. For me, the obvious choice was in the field of gender equality and child protection. My current research combines these two areas of interest perfectly. A huge contributing factor to childhood statelessness is the inability of women to pass on their nationality status to their children due to their gender. For example, in some countries a woman is not permitted to pass on her nationality status to her child and where the father is either unknown or a foreigner then the child acquires no nationality and thus becomes stateless. It is shocking that in this day and age there are laws that still discriminate against women solely on the basis of gender.

Why do you think this is such an important area of research for South African women?

I think women need to be empowered and be aware of the laws that affect them. It is also important that as South African women we realise that we can only be empowered when we break the barriers that hinder our contribution to society.

The pandemic has changed the way we work and live. What keeps you motivated during these times?

It has definitely been a challenge and “Covid fatigue" has gotten the best of me at times. As such, I have had to be deliberate about prioritising my mental health. It is true that “one cannot pour from an empty cup".  I take time out for myself by doing things that help me to relax (read, watch documentaries, and exercise). Being in a good mental space keeps me motivated. I have come to learn that motivation alone is not enough, so I also focus on building discipline, which keeps me accountable for achieving my goals.

Tell us something exciting about yourself that few people would expect.

I have a twin sister and I am fluent in six South African languages.

What would your message be for the next generation of women researchers?

Be clear about your goals and then go for them with all that you have. You need to choose a research area that you are passionate about. Research can be daunting at times, so it is important to remember why you started. Interest in a particular research area might get you started, but passion and discipline will keep you going.