"Too fat to live in our country" - New Zealand's unfair reason for deporting SA woman
The most appalling reason to exclude someone from residing in a country!
Imagine arriving in your ideal country - the place where you'd like to start a new life, and being told you should leave immediately...
Mondelea Bezuidenhout had this happen to her in real life for one of the most prejudice reasons.
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The 35-year-old mother and wife immigrated from Gqeberha to New Zealand with her family in 2018, but soon after arrival was deported following a certain immigration medical assessment which described her as a “severe-risk”.
The assessment was according to body mass index (BMI) and it stated Mondelea's was too high for her to remain in the country - a decision upheld by their government.
Does that even sound right? It just sounds wrong to us!
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The mother to Donna (10) and Damien (4) is a tenacious woman who truly wanted to see through the family's plan to become residents of NewZealand.
She committed to a personal journey that was going to get her to New Zealand; come hell or high water.
Mondelea worked tirelessly towards losing weight and guess what?
After an appeal process that took almost two years, she managed to have the government’s decision overturned.
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“I can’t believe it, honestly – it’s still sinking in. I was crying,” an emotional Mondelea told News24.
"I’m overwhelmed not just because of the decision, but because I felt really listened to and understood, finally... someone in the Government saw my side of the story, how hard I had worked, without even meeting me."
The family received the good news just days before Christmas last year.
Unacceptable treatment, honestly! But Mondelea is a legend for having a fiery and determined spirit!
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Main Image Courtesy: Mondelea Jordan Bezuidenhout