kitchen unit, the bed and stove. YYY said that a few weeks ago the grandfather came back and told her that he wanted to go to Harare to live with the younger brother of the maternal grandmother. YYY said she reported the matter to Chemagamba Police Station. His mother also has a residential stand in Katanga Section, Chinhoyi. The aunt alleges that the property they took belonged to her. Action • • • JCT wants to interview current custodian as part of the process to apply for custody To find ways in which YYY can have his mother’s estate registered so that it can be protected Need to discuss with maternal relatives and advise them to produce affidavits so as to rectify her birth certificate. (Refer to summary of Administration of Deceased Estates Act [6:01] CASE THREE (Bindura) The boy’s father passed away in June 2002 and the mother deserted the family immediately thereafter. He is an only child. The father died before the boy had a birth certificate acquired for him. Before the father died his excuse for not obtaining a birth certificate for the boy was that the mother did not have an ID. The father was of Malawian origin. The now lives with the paternal aunt. He completed entry forms for grade 7 public exams. At one point he “borrowed” a birth certificate form the aunt’s son who is in grade 5 for sporting activities. He failed to qualify for Better Education Assistance Module (BEAM) and SOS block grant due to the absence of a birth certificate. The aunt has tried to get a birth certificate for him but officials from RG insisted that the mother is still alive so there is need for her to come and process the birth registration. Action • • • Advised client to seek his mother’s relatives He should get more information from the aunt or other relatives on where he can begin his search JCT will assist by liaising with RG’s office in Bindura to search for records of surviving relatives Birth Registration Research Report/2007 49