THE marriages of millions of black South Africans may not be recognised by the state and their children could be regarded as having been born out of wedlock, the Sunday Times reported. The Department of Home Affairs admitted on Saturday that marriages of black couples and births of black children before 1990 were never entered in the central database computer. The situation, which has severe implications for insurance claims and inheritances from joint estates, can be rectified only by applying to the department for new marriage certificates, birth certificates and ID documents. The department’s regional director of Gauteng West, Lorraine Makola said Home Affairs conceded that there is a huge problem especially with the lack of staff available.