“There are no words to describe the feeling, if you are not recognised as a citizen and become stateless of TWO countries. The frustration of your situation and no one wants to understand. The anger at being denied a simple basic right. The anxiety and worry of doors being shut and deportation always at your back. The helplessness of not knowing which way to turn. Mainly confusion, as a simple matter gains more and more politics.” Case study Case study A.T. (“Annie”) was born in Zimbabwe in 1969 to a South African mother and Zimbabwean father. Her mother and father met while travelling and settled down and married in Zimbabwe. Annie grew up in Zimbabwe and had an ID card as a citizen, issued when she was sixteen years old. Later when Annie married and tried to register her marriage in Zimbabwe, she was told she is no longer a citizen (as a result of amendments to the citizenship law). Annie was told to renounce South African citizenship and reapply for Zimbabwean citizenship, but she had never registered as a citizen in South Africa. Unable to get Zimbabwean nationality, she moved to South Africa with her husband hoping to access the citizenship of her mother. But given that she did not have any passport or other documents from her mother, who was then deceased, she could not establish her claim to South African citizenship. Lawyers for Human Rights assisted Annie in making an application for immigration status through her spouse, which required administrative discretion given that she did not hold a passport from any nation. “My whole existence in this country has been a problem because of not having citizenship and documents. Simple tasks like signing a cell phone contract cannot be done. Or getting a valid South African driver’s licence. I can’t even sign my daughter’s school application forms. Or open a bank account. I pray every day for a proper status to be given to me. I do not want to carry this burden anymore.” Promoting citizenship and preventing statelessness in South Africa: A practitioner’s guide 13