A Digital Lifeline: Home Affairs Launches Online Citizenship Restoration

In a significant move that leverages technology to correct a past injustice, the Department of Home Affairs has launched a new online portal allowing South Africans to verify and reinstate citizenship that was automaticallyand unconstitutionallystripped from them.

For years, a little-known law had a profound effect on many dual-national South Africans: if you voluntarily acquired citizenship of another country without first seeking permission, you automatically lost your South African citizenship. This May, the Constitutional Court declared that practice unconstitutional, ordering the government to restore citizenship to those affected.

The practical consequence of losing citizenship was severe: individuals were blocked from obtaining or renewing a South African ID, locking them out of everything from opening a bank account to voting.

No Queues, No Paperwork

Now, the department is rolling out the solution. Through the My Home Affairs Online website, eligible individuals can reclaim their status without setting foot in a Home Affairs office.

“In keeping with our commitment to use digital transformation to deliver Home Affairs @ Home, this process involves no queues and no paperwork whatsoever,” announced Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber.

The system uses facial recognition and machine learning to verify an applicant’s identity and securely correct the official population register. This digital-first approach not only simplifies the process for citizens but also positions the department at the “global cutting-edge” of biometric verification.

One Problem Solved, Another Persists

While this new portal resolves a major constitutional issue, it highlights another bureaucratic hurdle within the same system. The announcement stands in stark contrast to the ongoing struggles faced by another group: naturalised citizens.

These are individuals who formally applied for and were granted South African citizenship. They hold passports, yet when they try to apply for a smart ID card, they are asked for a document many lost decades agotheir original naturalisation certificate.

One MyBroadband reader, a passport holder for decades, recounted being turned away from a Home Affairs kiosk at a Nedbank branch for lacking this certificate. When they inquired about getting a replacement, they were told it would be a difficult and costly process through traditional channels. After receiving no reply to an email request, they gave up, deciding to “stay with the green ID.”

This creates a frustrating paradox: the department is using cutting-edge tech to solve one problem while another group remains trapped by a paper-based requirement that undermines its own “Home Affairs @ Home” initiative.

For the thousands who lost their citizenship unfairly, the new online portal is a long-overdue digital lifeline. But for naturalised citizens still holding a green ID book, the wait for a truly seamless, modern system continues.

{Source: Mybroadband}

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