Chidimma Adetshina’s citizenship dispute has become more than a legal battle. It raises uncomfortable questions about African identity, belonging and whether a child should bear the consequences of an alleged wrongdoing committed by adults.

Thousands of white South Africans are returning home after spending years abroad, reversing a long-standing trend of emigration from South Africa. Many returnees are reclaiming their citizenship through a government online portal introduced after the repeal of a 1995 law that had stripped citizenship from some South Africans who obtained foreign nationality. The shift marks a notable development in the country’s migration patterns, which for decades saw large numbers of skill