The Department of Home Affairs has refused to disclose how many Members of Parliament hold dual citizenship or obtained South African citizenship through naturalisation after a question was raised in Parliament by Vuyo Zungula.
Zungula had asked Leon Schreiber to reveal how many MPs currently serving in Parliament possess citizenship of another country in addition to their South African citizenship, as well as how many were not born in South Africa but later became South African citizens.
However, Home Affairs declined to provide the information, with Schreiber indicating that the department was unable to answer the question.
The response has raised questions about transparency regarding the citizenship status of public representatives and whether Parliament should have access to such information.
Dual citizenship among elected officials has long been a topic of public debate, particularly around issues of loyalty, accountability and eligibility for public office. However, South African law does permit dual citizenship under certain circumstances.
The refusal by Home Affairs to disclose the information is likely to fuel further discussion about whether the citizenship status of MPs should be publicly available and whether voters have a right to know if their elected representatives hold citizenship of other countries.
The matter has also drawn attention because it remains unclear whether the department does not possess the information requested or whether legal and privacy considerations prevent it from disclosing such details.
