Home Affairs minister praises child refugee Vincent Tshituka
The siblings came to the country with their parents as refugees after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On his X account, Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber praised Emmanuel and Vincent Tshituka for their new status as South African naturalised citizens.
He posted: 'Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka came to SA as child refugees from DRC.
'Yesterday, I had the honour of watching Vincent make his debut for the Springboks after naturalising them. The latest reminder from our Boks that – no matter our background – we truly are Stronger Together'.
Vincent Tshituka, his parents, and his three siblings fled the DRC in 2002 amid political unrest in the country.
Recently, the siblings finally received their documentation, which enabled their integration into the national team after attending the Springbok alignment camp earlier this year.
In May, the Department of Home Affairs announced that naturalised citizens would now be eligible to receive smart cards.
On his Instagram, Vincent Tshituka shared his pride at representing South Africa as a Springbok in his first test match.
The national rugby squad played against Italy at Loftus on Saturday, 5 July.
Vincent posted: 'All I can say is, thank you, God! It's something I couldn't have even begun to dream of since I was a kid, and now it actually happened. A dream realised! CRAZY!'
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