The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nomusa Dube-Ncube, will be meeting with the Department of Home Affairs to get more clarity regarding the alleged growing abuse of citizenship confirmations issued to individuals by traditional leaders, councilors and izinduna in the province’s traditional areas.

Dube-Ncube said this in response to the concerns raised by the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, suggesting that in certain instances traditional leadership institution remain a weak link and at times are taken for a ride by people seeking to obtain South African citizenship by hook or crook.

It is alleged that some traditional leaders … would write fraudulent letters, confirming the citizenship of certain people.

“We have noted the concerns raised by the Minister and in the spirit of co-operative governance we need to find a way to regulate the processes whereby our traditional structures issue letters of confirmation of residence to individuals who reside in our traditional areas in order to prevent fraud in the issuance of such confirmations,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.

“Our initiative is an example of a successful inter-departmental approach whereby different government departments are joining hands in finding a solution to a growing problem that threatens the integrity of South Africa’s citizenship legislation. We will be closing all such potential loopholes,” said Dube-Ncube.

As KZN Cogta we will also raise the matter directly with the province’s traditional authorities which fall in the purview of the provincial department to alert them to the possibility of fraud and appraise them of ways to address and prevent it from occurring in KZN.

Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs