By Palesa Matlala
• Home Affairs told Parliament it cannot say how many South Africans hold dual citizenship because there is no legal requirement to report foreign citizenship.
• The admission comes as political pressure grows for tougher immigration controls, stronger border security and better citizenship verification systems.
The Department of Home Affairs has admitted it does not know how many South Africans hold citizenship in other countries.
The disclosure comes as government faces growing pressure to tighten immigration controls, strengthen border security and improve citizenship verification systems.
African Transformation Movement MP Vuyo Zungula asked Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber whether the department kept records showing how many South Africans had dual citizenship and which countries were most involved.
In a written reply to Parliament, Schreiber said Home Affairs does not keep a complete register of South Africans who hold two or more citizenships.
He said this was not because of poor administration but because of changes in the law.
Schreiber explained that the South African Citizenship Act previously required citizens to apply to keep their South African citizenship before taking up another nationality.
But on 6 May 2025, the Constitutional Court struck down that requirement.
The ruling means South Africans no longer lose their citizenship when they become citizens of another country.
It also means they do not have to inform Home Affairs when they obtain foreign citizenship.
“As a result, South Africans no longer lose their citizenship when acquiring another nationality, and there is no longer any legal obligation to notify the Department,” said Schreiber.
He said the ruling makes it impossible for Home Affairs to maintain a complete record of dual citizens.
The department has launched an online citizenship portal to help people confirm and update their records on the National Population Register.
But Schreiber said the system was not designed to create a full database of dual citizens.
He also pointed out that many people automatically qualify for foreign citizenship through birth, ancestry or marriage in other countries, which falls outside the department’s control.
Because of this, Schreiber said Home Affairs cannot provide a verified figure for the number of South Africans with dual or multiple citizenship.
The department also cannot say which countries account for the highest number of dual citizenship cases.
Schreiber said existing records cover only a small number of people who applied to retain their South African citizenship under the old law.
The revelation comes as immigration becomes an increasingly heated political issue in South Africa.
Public concern over undocumented migration, border security, asylum backlogs and pressure on public services has intensified calls for stricter immigration enforcement.
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has also raised concerns about backlogs, court cases and administrative problems that continue to strain the department’s immigration and refugee systems.
Recent protests linked to undocumented migration in Johannesburg and Durban have added to pressure on government to improve immigration management and citizenship controls.
Pictured above: South African ID
Image source: Department of Home Affairs
