Court says ‘stateless’ child can get citizenship

A court in South Africa has cleared the way for children who find themselves without a nationality because they were born in the country where their parents are foreign nationals, to acquire South African citizenship. It follows a two-year battle to highlight the plight of so called “stateless children”, who are in legal limbo and […]

A court in South Africa has cleared the way for children who find themselves without a nationality because they were born in the country where their parents are foreign nationals, to acquire South African citizenship.
It follows a two-year battle to highlight the plight of so called “stateless children”, who are in legal limbo and are denied access to state-funded health, education and other welfare services.
The test case, involving an eight-year-old girl born to Cuban parents who emigrated to South Africa, has confirmed that the child can become a citizen in the country of her birth.
The Supreme Court of Appeal also ordered that the home affairs department puts in place measures to help other youngsters who find themselves stateless, acquire citizenship.