In a front page exposé in the Pretoria News on 13 October 2016,
Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, asked for forgiveness from
"ordinary citizens" at the Centurion Home Affairs office for lengthy
queues, poor communication and lack of professionalism. While this
photo opportunity no doubt revealed real problems at one particular
office, Minister Gigaba has so much more to apologise for.


On Sunday 11 September 2016, the Minister visited the Marabastad
Refugee Reception Office to inspect the new paperless systems being
put in place at that office. Sunday is not a business day at the
centre so there were no clients to apologise too. Although not
citizens, one wonders if the Minister would have felt the need to seek
forgiveness for the absolute collapse of the refugee system in South
Africa and the false impressions of abiding by international law he
made to the United Nations in New York and Geneva last month.



Instead of heaping praise on a broken Home Affairs, Gigaba should say
sorry for:


• The breakdown of systems at the Marabastad refugee office (the
largest in South Africa) since June. Similar to Mr Mkhize`s passing
the buck onto Telkom for Centurion, these system failures have been
blamed on everything from a failure of software to cables being
stolen. The office is still not fully operational;


• The continued closure of refugee reception offices and the failure
to abide by court orders to re-introduce services in Cape Town, Port
Elizabeth and Johannesburg, causing thousands of asylum seekers to
criss-cross the country looking for open offices to renew
permits;


• The complete collapse of the Refugee Appeal Board meaning that
almost no appeals have been heard for over a year, causing asylum
seekers to wait

years to finalise their claims;


• The Department`s stance of denying the right to earn a livelihood
for traders in Limpopo who have attempted to comply with national,
provincial and local legislation to lawfully operate their businesses
and support their families. Despite what the Supreme Court of Appeal
said about human dignity, he and his Deputy Minister have introduced
new legislation in Parliament to prevent asylum seekers from
supporting themselves and their families through lawful work due to
lengthy delays in the system;


• The rampant and unchecked corruption at refugee reception offices,
most notably the Marabastad offices where LHR`s 2015 report on
corruption found that over half of clients at that office have been
asked to pay a bribe to receive services. The corruption has only
increased with the breakdown of systems and poor management at that
office;


• Allowing his Department to threaten schools into refusing access to
education for children who remain undocumented, in clear violation of
section 28 of the Constitution;


• Abusing court processes and expending vast amounts of money on
defending clearly unlawful actions through the Department`s
beleaguered legal services branch;


Citizens in Centurion are not the only ones who deserve an apology for
bad service. The Minister must apologise for the collapse of South
Africa`s refugee system and making false impressions with
international donors that everything is fine. These are real people
who are suffering real problems due to the Department`s inability to
do its job. Why don`t foreigners deserve the same respect as citizens? V.1829

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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