Citizenship Reinstatement Portal helps SA expats, but embassies still failing – Mary Paccard (DA Aboad)

South Africans abroad who lost their citizenship after acquiring another nationality can now breathe a sigh of relief. Following a landmark Constitutional Court ruling, the Department of Home Affairs has launched an online portal to help restore citizenship rights. In an interview with BizNews, Mary Paccard, the DA’s global project manager, says that despite some early technical glitches the system is working well. She notes, however, that serious challenges remain at South Africa’s embassies and consular services overseas, with the most pressing complaints being unanswered phones, slow responses to queries, and the very limited hours available to collect passports and other identity documents..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here. Watch here:.Listen here:.Edited transcript of the interview.Linda van Tilburg (00:00) The Democratic Alliance has fought a decade-long legal battle to restore the citizenship of South Africans who lost it after acquiring citizenship abroad. Thanks to a landmark Constitutional Court ruling, a new online system has now been launched, allowing South Africans to check or reinstate their citizenship status. Joining us to shed more light on this development is Mary Paccard, the DA's global project manager, speaking to us from Paris.Before we get into how the portal is performing, can you briefly recap how this initiative came about?Mary Paccard (00:37) Basically, in 2014 we were hearing a lot of cases of people whose citizenships had been retracted. Complaints were coming in, and we were really worried. We believed this was unconstitutional, so we decided to take it to court and fight it. After many years—over 10 years—we finally won. We had to go through many political channels, but here we are today. It’s a big win, and something we’re very proud of because we care about our citizens.Linda van Tilburg (01:21) Well, the portal has been live for about two weeks now. Has everything been running smoothly?Mary Paccard (01:29) We’ve had a few small issues, but nothing detrimental. Technical glitches happen everywhere. The main challenge has been biometrics—you need to have your passport flat, the lighting has to be good, and your camera must be at the right angle. There’s now a video, produced by the Department of Home Affairs, showing people how to do it, and that’s helped a lot.Linda van Tilburg (01:54) So how many South Africans have been affected by this?Mary Paccard (02:00) Gosh, I can only speak in percentages. Roughly 90% of South Africans globally have been affected. The rest are those who opted out or didn’t want reinstatement. We’ve focused on helping those who really needed it back and didn’t understand what was going on.Linda van Tilburg (02:23) Just explain the process, because I went through it myself. You apply for a second citizenship, but before you obtain it, you have to ask for permission. Is that where the problem came in?Mary Paccard (02:35) Right. You’re supposed to sign a retention letter at the embassy. But afterwards, people were told they had lost their citizenship. That’s not correct. You only lose it if you’re in a country that allows only one nationality. Where dual nationality is permitted, it shouldn’t have happened. We realised there was an issue and said, hang on, we’ve got to sort this out.Linda van Tilburg (03:10) Do you have figures on how many South Africans have gone to the portal to reinstate their citizenship?Mary Paccard (03:15) Right now, about 70% have used it. With our estimate of 90% affected globally, that’s encouraging. Some people have to go through the registrar process, which takes about eight weeks. If complications arise, it goes through official channels at the Department of Home Affairs. These are small discrepancies, but overall, it’s going well.Linda van Tilburg (03:48) Does it help that the DA holds the Home Affairs portfolio?Mary Paccard (03:52) It really helps. Working with Minister Leon Schreiber has been a joy. The team is so effective. The DA’s motto is to get things done, and that’s what we do. It’s great teamwork.Linda van Tilburg (04:12) You also handle queries and complaints from South Africans overseas, especially around embassy services. For example, applying for a passport abroad often involves VFS Global, but you still have to deal with the embassy. How has that been going? What kind of feedback are you getting?Mary Paccard (04:39) The major complaints are about unanswered phones and queries. Reception should be the number one priority—someone smiling at the end of the line, which is missing. Because of poor governance under the ANC, citizens are affected. Processing times are long—eight to 12 months, sometimes even 16. We’re trying to fix this. People expect the five-week VFS timeline, but embassies add another layer of delay.Linda van Tilburg (05:29) What are the problems at the embassies? Why is this happening?Mary Paccard (05:32) Budget constraints are a big issue. South Africa House was the first to face complaints, then Belgium, then The Hague. Buildings are damaged, phone lines don’t work, and services aren’t up to standard.Linda van Tilburg (06:02) Are there still issues with people traveling to South Africa with children?Mary Paccard (06:04) Not really. It depends. If they have dual nationality, they must travel with their South African passport. If that passport is being renewed and still at the embassy, they can travel with a receipt or ID showing the process is underway. Alternatively, they can apply in South Africa, get the passport within 15 days, and then leave with the new document.Linda van Tilburg (06:42) What improvements would you most like to see in services for South Africans abroad?Mary Paccard (06:48) I’d love to see proper reception standards—working phone lines and friendly responses instead of silence when emails are sent. I don’t want to have to copy ambassadors just to get a reply. Even a simple acknowledgment would help.Linda van Tilburg (07:21) And the hours? In London, consular services are available for very short periods.Mary Paccard (07:31) Yes, often just two hours. If you have a hundred people in that time, many are sent home. Ideally, there should be two or three hours in the morning and again in the evening. That would help those traveling from further away—say from Scotland—who want to make a one-day trip without incurring extra costs.Linda van Tilburg (08:11) When you raise these issues with the government, what happens?Mary Paccard (08:17) It’s a lengthy process. We have to go through parliament, ensure people are heard, and sign petitions. It takes time.Linda van Tilburg (08:27) Is that why you eventually took the matter to court over lost passports?Mary Paccard (09:30) Absolutely. Complaints were escalating, and as volunteers abroad, we’re few in number. It felt like a full-time job. But I’m happy to do this for our citizens—it’s close to my heart. Being part of DA Abroad as a volunteer is rewarding. I just ask our citizens to be kind. I understand their frustration, but we’re doing our best. Angry voices at the end of the line don’t help—we’re in this together.

Citizenship Reinstatement Portal helps SA expats, but embassies still failing – Mary Paccard (DA Aboad)

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