On Thursday, March 27th, ActionSA urged Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber to reject Phil Craig’s application for South African citizenship, citing his advocacy for Western Cape secession as a threat to national unity.
Craig, a white British national and co-founder of the Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG), has lived in South Africa for over 20 years as a permanent resident. He has struggled to obtain citizenship, blaming inefficiencies within the Department of Home Affairs. “Like many people in South Africa, I have struggled for many years with dysfunction at the department of home affairs,” he stated.
ActionSA’s parliamentary chief whip, Lerato Ngobeni, argued that Craig does not meet the legal requirements for citizenship. “ActionSA is of the view that any individual who advocates for the secession of the Western Cape and actively undermines the unity of the Republic of South Africa (“the Republic”) is not an individual of good character as is required by the Act. Moreover, if he advocates for the secession of the Western Cape, he clearly does not wish to reside in the Republic,” Ngobeni emphasized. The party also asserts that Craig does not intend to reside in a unified South Africa, further disqualifying him under the Citizenship Act.
Public opposition to Craig’s secessionist movement has intensified. A petition titled “Keep South Africa Safe” has gathered nearly 50,000 signatures, calling for his deportation. “His actions are reminiscent of the apartheid era, threatening to tear apart the unity we have fought so hard to establish,” the petition states.
Critics across political lines have echoed concerns. African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula previously urged Home Affairs to deny Craig citizenship, warning that Cape Independence would deepen inequality and strip marginalized communities of constitutional protections.
Craig and the CIAG plan to visit the United States in April to seek international support for Cape Independence. “It was clear from the outset that the new US administration was going to take a fundamentally different approach to South Africa than had previous administrations, and that this was potentially going to be very helpful for Cape independence, which requires some degree of international support to be successful,” Craig explained.
Observers have pointed out that if Craig were a US green card holder advocating for a state’s secession and undermining national sovereignty, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump would have ensured his arrest and deportation. His case remains under review in South Africa as pressure mounts on the government to deny his citizenship.
