Court ruling highlights citizen issues for stateless children in South Africa
Published: 13/Mar/2025
Source: Pretoria News / IOL
By Zelda Venter
Amendments to the Citizenship Act came under the judicial spotlight after one child born from parents who are legally in the country as refugees after they had fled Rwanda is a citizen of South Africa, while her younger sister, born after amendments, is left stateless.
The youngest child, born in 2015 after a change in the law, does not automatically qualify for citizenship as her elder sister did. In terms of the new law, she can only apply for citizenship here – with no guarantees that she will receive it – after she has turned 18.