The Home Affairs database system that manages refugee and asylum
documentation has been down for almost two weeks across the country.
Refugees have described their frustration with poor communication from
officials‚ standing in long queues‚ and being blocked from doing
anything that South African citizens use an identity document to
access.


A week ago‚ GroundUp described the story of a refugee who cannot
access her bank account because she cannot renew her refugee
documents‚ and is on the brink of being fired because she has queued
for days at the Home Affairs building on Cape Town`s foreshore.
Hundreds of refugees in a similar position to her were being turned
away everyday this week. On Thursday about 500 people were turned away
at the Cape Town office at about 8:30am. Many had been queuing since
6am or 7am.


Moreover‚ the national department has failed to respond to GroundUp`s
emails‚ telephone calls and text messages since last week.


No one has been able to tell us what is wrong with the system. On
Wednesday a Cape Town Home Affairs official who identified himself as
George said he doesn`t know when the system will be fixed. "The main
server is offline and they are working on it. It needs replacement and
it`s not just our offices ... Port Elizabeth and Marabastad offices
are offline as well‚" he said.


An official at the reception of the Port Elizabeth Home Affairs office
said that the system has not been working since Tuesday.


The Secretary General of the Somali Association in South Africa‚
Mohammed Kat‚ said his office in Korsten was overwhelmed by people
seeking clarity on the shutdown. He said that their members were
scared.


"The Department of Home Affairs is not telling us what happened. They
are only extending the permits manually‚ a process that we feel banks
and other stakeholders will not accept. The main concern is the
silence on the part of the department."


Abdul Olatunji of Community of African Nations in South Africa
(CANiSA) said‚ "Our concern is whether [Home Affairs]

informed the law
enforcing sector. We fear that innocent foreigners will end up getting
arrested for failing to produce valid papers. There is also the issue
of banks and employers.


Most banks do not allow handwritten documents in their systems. We are
closely watching the situation.We will not tolerate a situation where
one of us will either be arrested or victimised at their workplace or
banks because of the department's technical glitch."


At the Cape Town office‚ a Burundian man who drives a metre taxi said
his main worry is traffic cops. They usually want him to produce his
ID and his driver`s license. He intended to go to a police station to
sign an affidavit that he hoped could be used temporarily in place of
his ID. "You can see by the way the Home Affairs official spoke to us
that he does not care. He gave a fun face‚ when we asked what we are
going to tell police. He forgets that if there are no refugees‚ there
is no job for him‚" he said.


A Zimbabwean woman from Wellington‚ who does seasonal work on farms‚
said she and her three children had to wake up at 2am and walk to the
train station to take the first train to Cape Town where she renews
her asylum papers every three months. She had been to Home Affairs
last week‚ and was told to come back on 2 June.


Today her nine- year-old girl missed a school examination because she
had to bring her to Home Affairs to renew her documents. "The past two
weeks had been hard for me. When my asylum document expired‚ my
employer temporarily stopped me working. I need to borrow money from
friends for transport to commute to Home Affairs since I haven`t been
working‚" she said.


"My rent and children`s school fees are overdue. My family is living
on handouts. When I told my boss about the offline system he said he
needs proof from Home Affairs that the system is offline because he
does not want to get in trouble." - V.1632

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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