ON THE SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT, CASE NO. SA 48/2014 IN THE MATTER BETWEEN MARIUS CORNELIUS DE WILDE (APPELLANT) AND MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (RESPONDENT)
As you may be aware, on 23 June 2016 the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment pertaining to citizenship by birth.
The above-mentioned judgment ordered that the minor child Bram Cornelius de Wilde, born on 27 October 2009, be issued with a birth certificate on the basis that he is a Namibian citizen by birth as envisaged by Article 4(1)(d) of the Namibian Constitution.
The judgment further ordered that the Respondent, id est, the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration, to issue within 30 days from the date of this order, the minor child with a full Namibian Birth Certificate. According to our calculations, the Court Days will lapse after o4 August 2016.
The 13th Cabinet Decision Making Meeting, held today, 2 August 2016, extensively deliberated on this matter, and resolved as follows:
That the Government of the Republic of Namibia will comply with the Supreme Court Order contained in the said judgment, and the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration will issue a birth certificate as directed.
The Government of the Republic of Namibia fully respects the Namibian Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Country, and acting within the confines of the Namibian Constitution, remains seized with the matter, will monitor the situation, and if need be, will consult widely with a view to seeking a long-term solution to deal with issues of this nature in future.