Deputy Justice Minister Nel rejects claims of dual citizenship
· Citizen
The Justice Department says the Deputy Justice Minister is a South African citizen and has never held or applied for citizenship in any country other than South Africa.
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The department clarified Nel’s citizenship after weekend reports in which Carel Crafford, legal representative of Roman Cabanac, the former chief of staff to Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, claimed that several state officials and members of the executive, including Nel, hold dual citizenship.
Cabanac was dismissed as Steenhuisen’s chief of staff in June last year. The reason given was that he could not obtain security clearance because he holds dual citizenship of France and South Africa.
No dual citizenship
Justice Ministry spokesperson Terence Manase said Nel rejects the claims of dual citizenship.
“Deputy Minister Nel is a South African citizen and has never held, nor applied for, citizenship of any country but South Africa. Deputy Minister Nel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, to South African diplomats.
“According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services: ‘Children born in the United States to accredited foreign diplomatic officers do not acquire citizenship under the 14th Amendment since they are not ‘born . . . subject to the jurisdiction of the United States,'” Manase said.
Manase said Nel will write to Crafford and Cabanac, demanding an “immediate retraction and a public apology.”
Appointment
Cabanac’s appointment in 2024 was met with outrage and dissatisfaction from South Africans who accused him of racism.
The Capitalist Party of South Africa member had previously tweeted that black people are not liberals.
“If you want to be a liberal party, it cannot be black-led,” he said, in reaction to Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader Mmusi Maimane’s explanation in his book on why he left the DA.
Controversy
He also allegedly called black people “Bantu people” and questioned the validity of the Sharpeville Massacre.
Pressure was mounting on Steenhuisen to reconsider his decision to appoint this controversial podcaster as chief of staff, but he defended the appointment, saying Cabanac met the required qualifications, as he held an LLB and had experience.
In September 2024, Steenhuisen admitted that he had made a mistake in the appointment.
