Stateless, courtesy of Home Affairs inefficiency
A family of three has been stateless for a year as a result of the Home Affairs Department not finalising the father’s SA citizenship. According to a TimesLIVE report, the father could not visit India when his mother got ill last year, nor when she died in March this year because the permanent resident ID he has does not allow him to apply for a passport.
They had renounced their Indian citizenship as part of their procedure to become naturalised South Africans. In 2016‚ Minister Malusi Gigaba imposed a new regulation that required immigrants to attend a naturalisation ceremony‚ similar to citizenship ceremonies held in the US‚ the UK and Australia.
The latest ceremony was meant to take place in November 2017‚ but due to the various Cabinet reshuffles it was cancelled at the last minute.
There has not been a naturalisation ceremony since February 2017‚ meaning no one has been naturalised in more than a year. The man‚ his wife and their son received a letter conditionally approving their applications to be South African citizens in May last year, but have heard nothing since.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
