ConCourt victory for South Africans who acquired second citizenship

The South African Constitutional Court declared section 6(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act invalid, which previously caused automatic loss of citizenship when acquiring another nationality without ministerial permission.
The ruling overturned previous court decisions and restored citizenship to those who lost it under this provision since its enactment in 1995.
The DA led the legal challenge, emphasizing the large impact on nearly 2 million South Africans living abroad who were unaware they had lost their citizenship.
The court emphasized that citizenship rights are protected by the constitution and criticized the lack of justification for automatic loss, especially amid increased cross-border migration.