Pretoria — South Africa and Botswana have officially introduced a
pilot project that will make travelling much easier for the
cross-border community of Tshidilamolomo.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba inaugurated the pilot of the
border crossing point for the village of Tshidilamolomo in the North
West, on Tuesday.
The village straddles South Africa and Botswana due to what Minister
Gigaba described as the "irrational borderlines" drawn by colonialists.
The project flows out of a discussion between President Jacob Zuma and
President Ian Khama, which began in 2011.
The two Presidents recognised the movement challenges faced by the
village of Tshidilamolomo, which is separated by the South
Africa-Botswana border. The shared border is 1 840kms -- the longest
border South Africa shares with any of its neighbours.
Many people in Tshidilamolomo need to cross the borderline on a weekly
or even daily basis to study, work, shop and visit family members. It
is impractical for them to travel to the nearest ports of entry --
Bray and Ramatlabama -- which are over two hours away by car.
Minister Gigaba said officials from South Africa and Botswana have
worked closely together to develop a solution that facilitates the
easy movement of members of the Tshidilamolomo community, while
ensuring that movement is regulated by the respective governments.
"Thus, after a joint borderline survey, we have agreed to pilot a
community crossing point in Tshidilamolomo.
"Each government will enrol its nationals residing in the area by
ensuring they have machine-readable passports and are proven residents
based on affidavits from traditional leaders and local councillors as
required.
"Residents will be given a border pass document, which will enable
them to cross at the community crossing point. We will capture

and
verify each traveller's identity using biometrics -- fingerprint scan
and photo -- on each entry and exit," said Minister Gigaba.
The pilot project is scheduled for 12 months. Minister Gigaba said
they will use this as an opportunity to work out the modalities of the
system to ensure the efficient facilitation of movement for community
members.
The Minister said the use of community crossing points, where
appropriate, is one of several initiatives the Department of Home
Affairs will take in the coming years to ease movement for legitimate
travellers.
Blocking illegal travellers
Minister Gigaba said the system will be closely monitored to filter
out illegal travellers.
"While the vast majority of travellers crossing borders are
legitimate, law abiding citizens, there is a small minority of
criminals who seek to conceal themselves amid these migration flows.
"These include people fleeing arrest and prosecution for crimes
committed in other countries and transnational criminals such as
traders in illicit goods, human traffickers, people smugglers and
terrorists.
"The challenge for immigration authorities is to design systems which
make it easy and efficient for legitimate travellers to do so, while
making it difficult to impossible for illegitimate travellers to do
so," said the Minister.
He said the Department of Home Affairs is committed to easing travel
for legitimate visitors to South Africa, especially for Southern
African Development Community and African citizens.
"We are committed to managing immigration for development and for
contributing to regional integration, and our nation's foreign policy
objectives of a better Africa and a better world." V.1467

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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