Bureaucratic procedures and a whole lot of red tape are the only things standing between Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka and potential call-ups to the Springboks squad this year.
To the average local sports fan, the Tshituka’s are just a set of brothers casually dominating rugby games for the Lions and Sharks, respectively.
But there’s way more to their story and in order for them to reach their potential on the rugby field, the South African government in general, and the Department of Home Affairs in particular, need to come to the party.
THE BACKSTORY
Vincent Tshituka was born in Kinshasa, the capital city of conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of the Congo, and two years later his brother Emmanuel came into this world.
But because the resource-rich country was — and still is — ravaged by a decades-long conflict which has led to the deaths and displacement of the majority of its indigenous people, the Tshituka family decided to make the arduous, and not to mention dangerous, 2825km trek from Kinshasa to Johannesburg in search of a better life in 2002.
Fast forward to 2024, and the Tshituka brothers have managed to not only integrate perfectly into South African life, but they have become two of the most recognisable and adorned sporting heroes in the country. And yet, after 22 years in South Africa, they still officially documented as Congolese refugees, despite numerous attempts to gain citizenship.
DEAR HOME AFFAIRS: LET THE TSHITUKA BROTHERS PLAY
The fight with the South African government has just taken on another dimension and a new meaning now that there is more on the line than just official citizenship.
Tshituka’s are playing some of the best rugby of their careers this season for the Sharks and Lions, respectively, and based on form alone, they could well have been in the conversation for Springbok selection had it not been for Home Affairs’ bureaucratic procedures.
And with Emmanuel set to leave the Lions and link-up with his brother at the Sharks later this year, the Durban-franchise has already indicated that will be anything in their power to help expedite the process in order to allow the duo to push for inclusion in Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks squad this year.
If by some miracle the Tshituka brothers are granted South African citizenship soon, they could well become the players the greatest storyline in Springbok history.
Dear Home Affairs, please let it happen.
Give the people what they want and rubber-stamp the Tshituka’s paperwork.
