Cape Town - A crackdown on companies employing more than 40% foreign
labour is being vigorously pursued by the new minister of Home
Affairs.


Home Affairs inspectors have begun a “mass inspection” of businesses
countrywide.


Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize said on Wednesday her department’s
inspectorate unit was continuing with inspections “at various places
of employment to ensure compliance to this requirement, in terms of
the Immigration Act”.


The legislation has been tightened to address high unemployment rates
in South Africa.


Homes Affairs had partnered with the SA Police Service as well as the
Labour Department, she said.


“This is not a one off, but an ongoing activity which is achieved
through inspections to ensure companies comply,” Mkhize said. “The
role of the department is to continuously enforce compliance and
there’s no limit on the number of times a place of employment can be
inspected.”


The minister said in the past two months, “a total of 85 places of
employment were visited”. These, she said, included chain stores,
farms, hotels and other businesses.


The former Home Affairs Minster Malusi Gigaba had previously said the
inspections were being carried out to prioritise the employment of
South Africans and had “nothing to do with xenophobia”.


“In fact, xenophobic violence is what we want to

prevent,” Gigaba
said. “The risk of not employing South Africans is that it endangers
the lives of foreigners and the property of companies. If you look at
the (xenophobic) violence that erupted in 2015, it started precisely
because of a company at Isiphingo in Durban that employed non-South
Africans, and South Africans attacked the company.”


Home Affairs said the regulation - which had the support of trade
union federation Cosatu - was not new, but had been tightened to flush
out companies flouting the law.


Non-compliant companies will be fined heavily and have their licences
reviewed, while managers and owners could be jailed for up to two
years if the department decided to take legal action.


Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said: “When you consider we have over
nine million unemployed people, the 60% requirement is inadequate.


The figure needs to be revised to 75%.”


National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) spokesperson Livhuwane Malivhoho
said: “We have not yet taken a position on whether to support the
legislation because we have a lot of members from our neighbouring
countries who belong to our union, even our deputy president is from
Botswana.”


Spokesperson for the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa)
Phakamile Hlubi said the union could not comment at this stage. V.1942

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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