In May 2025, the Constitutional Court confirmed that section 6(1) of the Citizenship Act which provided that South African lost their citizenship if they voluntarily acquired citizenship of another country was unconstitutional.
Previously, anyone who wanted dual citizenship would have to apply in advance to the Minister of Home Affairs for permission. Many people who emigrated, and were unaware of the provision, unknowingly lost their citizenship. Section 20 of the Constitution provides that no citizen may be deprived of citizenship. Depriving someone of citizenship deprives them of other constitutional rights such as the right to vote and the right to reside in South Africa.
The Department of Home Affairs has announced that it has launched a portal in which citizenship can be regained successfully online from anywhere. The portal has apparently been used successfully by thousands of citizens. What used to take six to eight weeks now can be done in as little as an hour for qualifying applicants. The portal is My Home Affairs Online (myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za.)