CASE NOTE
MULOWAYI v MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS [2019]
ZACC 1 (29 JANUARY 2019)
JO VENKOV *
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction........................................................................................................... 179
Facts ...................................................................................................................... 179
Issues..................................................................................................................... 181
Holding ................................................................................................................. 181
Reasoning ............................................................................................................. 181
A The Law on Acquisition of South African Citizenship by Birth .............. 181
B The Interplay between ss 2(2) and 2(3) of the SACA ............................... 182
Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 183
INTRODUCTION
Mulowayi v Minister of Home Affairs (‘Mulowayi’) is an appeal to the South
African Constitutional Court (‘Constitutional Court’) from a decision of the High
Court of South Africa (‘High Court’) dealing with the validity of a regulation
amending the South African Citizenship Act (‘SACA’). 1
Although the Constitutional Court’s decision deals with the error of the High
Court, some of the judgment is devoted to a discussion on the status of the third
applicant, Mr and Mrs Mulowayi’s son Gaddiel. Gaddiel is stateless and faces
legal and practical obstacles to obtaining South African citizenship. 2 It is the
Constitutional Court’s obiter comments on the wider issues arising from South
Africa's citizenship regime — especially as they affect stateless people — that are
of most interest. Navigating complex administrative processes to give effect to
rights available under citizenship laws is one of the hurdles that many stateless
people face. Mulowayi shows that such hurdles impact stateless people living in
South Africa today.
FACTS
Mr and Mrs Mulowayi are refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo
(‘DRC’), who arrived in South Africa around 2002. 3 On 1 February 2011 and 5
*
1
2
3
Jo Venkov is a lawyer and the author of The Torn Identity (Blog) <www.thetornidentity.org>,
which analyses and discusses the legal aspects of identity such as statelessness, citizenship,
documentation, belonging and being disenfranchised through a lack of identity. She can be
contacted at info@thetornidentity.org.
Mulowayi v Minister of Home Affairs [2019] ZACC 1 (‘Mulowayi’); High Court of South
Africa, Western Cape Division; South African Citizenship Act 1995 (South Africa) (‘SACA’).
Mulowayi (n 1) 3 [5], [12].
Mulowayi v Minister of Home Affairs; Eisenberg Attorneys v Minister of Home Affairs [2018]
Case Nos 13550/2017 and 8542/2017 (unreported) (High Court of South Africa, Western
Cape Division).