Citizenship is the legal link an individual has with a State and is a fundamental human
right.
The Constitutional Court in the 2020 judgment of Chisuse v Director-General Department of Home Affairs made the
following remarks:
"
Citizenship is not just a legal status. It goes to the core of a
person’s identity, their sense of belonging in a community and,
where xenophobia is a lived reality, to their security of person.
Deprivation of, or interference with, a person’s citizenship status
affects their private life and family life, their choices as to where
they can call home, start jobs, enrol in schools and form part of a
community, as well as their ability to fully participate in the
political sphere and exercise freedom of movement. [1]
{1}Chisuse v Director-General Department of Home Affairs CCT 155/19
"