Section 20

Citizenship

Your South African citizenship cannot be stripped from you by any person or authority.

Free Chapter 2 — Bill of Rights Constitution of South Africa, 1996

What Section 20 Says

No citizen may be deprived of citizenship.

Plain-Language Explanation

Practical Significance
Your South African citizenship cannot be stripped from you by any person or authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can South African citizenship be lost?
Section 20 says no citizen may be deprived of citizenship. The South African Citizenship Act does allow for renunciation and loss of citizenship in limited circumstances (e.g., voluntary acquisition of foreign citizenship), but citizenship cannot be stripped as a punishment or without the person's involvement.

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