Submission on the South African Citizenship Amendment Bill, B 17 – 2010
Published: 6/Aug/2010
Source: Citizenship Rights Africa Initiative (Civil society coalition on the right to a nationality)
The Citizenship Rights Africa Initiative (CRAI), a civil society coalition working on nationality rights in Africa, welcomes the opportunity to comment on the South African Citizenship Amendment Bill, B–17, 2010, which will amend the Citizenship Act, 1995 (as already amended in 1997 and 2004). We also welcome some of the provisions of the bill. We do, however, have concerns about the proposed amendments to and some existing provisions of South African citizenship law, which are expanded below. In relation to the amendments, we are especially concerned by the new provision on loss of nationality and the requirement that someone seeking to naturalise as a South African must renounce another nationality if their other actual or potential nationality is of a country that does not allow dual nationality. In light of these concerns, and some lack of clarity in both the proposed amendments and the original text, we suggest that South Africa consider a complete revision of the Citizenship Act.
Download: CRAI_Submission_SA_Citizenship_Amendment_Bill_Aug2010