The Concept of Citizenship: Challenging South Africa's Policy

The concept of citizenship has come to represent the full cluster of civil rights held by individuals as members of modern states. Therefore, of all the "reforms" undertaken by South Africa in response to the economic and political instability of the last two years, the most potentially far reaching was State President P. W. Botha's announcement that citizenship would be restored' to South African blacks. In September 1985, Botha affirmed that some form of citizenship would be extended to all South Africans. Finally, on July 2, 1986, the South African government passed The Restoration of South African Citizenship Act."