Court rules section of SA's Citizenship Act unlawful

The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) has ruled that a section of the Citizenship Act is unlawful as it violates the rights of people who lost their South African citizenship after becoming citizens of another country.

- Molefe Seeletsa

Yesterday, the ConCourt delivered its judgment regarding an application brought by the DA.

The DA challenged Section 6(1)(a) of the Act, which states that South Africans automatically forfeit their citizenship if they voluntarily and formally acquire citizenship of another country.

According to Section 6(2) of the Act, individuals must apply to the minister of home affairs to retain their citizenship before obtaining foreign citizenship.

Judge Steven Majiedt found that Section 6(2) could not save the contested provision from being invalid.