Eswatini: Govt challenged over right to pass citizenship by birth
Published: 26/May/2023
Source: Times of Swaziland
By Kwanele Dlamini amd Mbongiseni Na
MBABANE – Government has been taken to court over the legislation that prevents women, whose children are fathered by foreigners, from transferring citizenship to their children through birth.
It is argued that depriving Eswatini women the right to pass citizenship by birth increases the risk of statelessness and offends against the Constitution.
The applicant in this matter is Mandisa Ziphelele Machakata (born Zwane) and she is married to a Zimbabwean national, Norman Farai, who is a resident of Eswatini. They got married 16 years ago and three children were born of the marriage. The children were born in Eswatini. However, according to Machakata, the children are not eligible for citizenship by birth in Eswatini, because their father is not a liSwati.
Read further: http://www.times.co.sz/news/140342-govt-challenged-over-right-to-pass-citizenship-by-birth.html