7 How do I know if I am a South African citizen, a Zimbabwean citizen or both? Your citizenship depends on the citizenship of your parents on the day that you were born. In South Africa and Zimbabwe citizenship is passed from parents to their children. This is a general rule, but there are other ways of getting South African and Zimbabwean citizenship. Let’s take a look, below. You are a Zimbabwean citizen if… You are a Zimbabwean citizen if one, or both, of your parents was a Zimbabwean citizen on the day that you were born. This could be your mother OR your father. Zimbabwean citizenship can also be passed down to you from one of your grandparents. If this is you, then you are automatically a Zimbabwean citizen. It does not matter what country you were born in. You are a South African citizen if… You are South African if one, or both, of your parents was a South African citizen on the day that you were born. This automatically makes you a South African citizen. It does not matter what country you were born in. 7