But Johannes Viviers and his children, Domonic and Heloise, inherited a skin condition called variegate porphyria. Exposure to sunlight for them is painful and potentially fatal.
In 2004, after a five-year battle, the Vereeniging family was granted residence and work permits in rainy Prince Rupert, Canada. Cloud cover there usually blocks the sun.
The Viviers family managed to fight deportation three times and because they could not work, relied on the community for survival.
Former journalist, Adriana Stuijt, who has a blog monitoring South African refugees, said the family was granted asylum based on humanitarian considerations in Canada.
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