The African Transformation Movement (ATM) wants to use the current window opened to review the South African constitution to propose that people born outside the country be barred from running for public office.

The party’s President and MP (Member of Parliament) in Cape Town, Vuyo Zungulu, says the current loophole in Section 19(3)(a) on political rights would one day allow people who have do not have the best interest of the country to eventually occupy critical positions like President, Premiers and Mayors.

The firebrand Zungula, who is known for his tough stance on illegal immigration, says to ensure that leaders in public office “have a generation stake” in the country, at least one of their parents should be South African-born. He argues that in the current scenario, someone may migrate to South Africa and occupy a leadership position.

“The wording allows for a person who may be born in another country, just spends a mere five years in the country, get naturalised, get citizenship and then that person can then become a councillor, a mayor, a premier, an MEC, a member of parliament, a Minister and even President.

“So, we view that as party as something that is dangerous because we may end up having people that are coming from other countries, but because of economic reasons find themselves as South African citizens being the leaders of the country, yet the love, their loyalty and aspirations are for their respective countries,” Zungula told the African Times.

Zungula said the ATM is also against holders of dual citizenship to hold public offices as their loyalty is divided between the countries they have allegiances to.

“We have seen in the past how people with such background when given leadership positions whether as mayors, they then put the interests of their countries, which they love with their hearts… Their South Africannes is just a matter of a passport or an ID, but in terms of their soul and their heart, it is their home countries which they love.

“So, we do not want a case whereby we have got such people. It is the same as dual citizenship where we are going to make amendments where we want to say a person who holds dual citizenship, is an citizen in South Africa, at the same time is a citizen of England, or Israel or America that person should not be allowed to hold public office because they have got split loyalties between South Africa and the respective countries that they have got citizen of,” Zungula added.

The window to make a submission to the Constitutional Review Committee is open until 31 May 2025, and inputs can be emailed to pgwebu@parliament.gov.za