Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni will on Tuesday 3 August 2010, lead a delegation of senior government officials to brief the Home Affairs Portfolio Committee in Parliament in Cape Town on the proposed amendments to the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 and the Birth and Death Registration Act 51 of 1992.
With regard to the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995, Director-General Mkuseli Apleni is expected to brief members of the portfolio committee on proposed amendments regarding the manner in which South African citizenship can be acquired.
The primary aim of the amendment to the Citizenship Act is among others to enable theDepartment to confer citizenship through descent, birth and naturalisation. This will have the effect of ensuring citizenship is conferred upon:
- children born in and out of South Africa, provided one or both parents are South African (birth)
- children adopted by South Africans (descent)
- and children born of foreigners based in South Africa, upon reaching the age of 18 years, will be eligible to apply for citizenship by means of naturalisation.
In addition, the portfolio committee will be briefed further by the Director-General MkuseliApleni on the proposed amendments to the Birth and Death Registration Act 51 of 1992 which will among others have the effect of ensuring:
- that registration of births of children is done by parents or persons designated as their legal guardian only
- the registration of all funeral undertakers
- and the recording of all adopted children.
The Director-General and his team of senior officials will be ready to take questions from the media following his address to the portfolio committee. In this regard, please contact Tuso (GCIS, Parliament – 072 127 1565) or Ricky Naidoo at (083 442 2408).
Details of the briefing session with the portfolio committee are as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Time: 14h00-17h00
Venue: M46 Marks Building, Cape Town
Media enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
