Solar energy received a boost on Monday, when Energy Minister Tina
Joemat-Pettersson announced a new power procurement project in the
Northern Cape to deliver 1 500 MW of solar energy.


The additional procurement was a Department of Energy legacy project
to mark the SA International Renewable Energy Conference taking place
in Cape Town this week.


"It is a ministerial legacy project to ensure we remember this
conference," the minister told media after her opening address on
Monday.


The announcement is the first step in a process that will seek bids
from independent power producers (IPPs) and will likely only feed into
the grid between 2019 and 2020.


Renewable energy is gaining steam both in South Africa and globally
and SA`s IPP programme has been heralded as a success story.


With a target of 5 000 MW of solar energy and 5 000 MW of wind energy
by 2030 in place, the IPP office has successfully attracted
much-needed investment in the renewable energy sector.


In April, the minister approved 13 new renewable IPP bids, which means
there will now be 79 IPP projects with 5 243 MW being added to a
national grid desperately in need of power.


"To date, more than 6 000 MWh of electricity had been procured

from 37
renewable-energy IPPs," said Joemat-Pettersson.


"To date, renewable energy projects in South Africa have resulted in
20 000 jobs for South Africans and attracted R192.6bn in investment,"
she said.


IPP office for Africa
Joemat-Pettersson said the IPP office mandate will come to an end in
this month and will be reshaped to grow its level of influence in
South African and in the broader continent.


"The IPP office is a success story that we would like to duplicate in
other countries," she said. "The reshaping of the office has started
in earnest and will have a larger mandate.


"We would like to invite businesses and stakeholders to comment on
what it is they appreciated in the office and what we could do
better," she said. "The success story is because we pulled together a
sound group of skills, which allowed us to work effectively and
efficiently to meet time frames.


"Policy certainty around the programme and integration with other
demands has allowed the programme to be sustainable," she said. "We
must build on the success of this innovation, but look at transferring
skills and technologies."


Fin24 V.1297

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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