Zimbabweans are main culprits, followed by Mozambicans and Malawians
Minister Dlodlo must immediately resolve dire inefficiencies at Home
Affairs
In a reply to a DA Parliamentary question, Home Affairs Minister,
Ayanda Dlodlo, revealed that at least 344 547 foreign nationals failed
to leave South Africa before or on the date their visas were set to
expire.
The reply also revealed that more than 15 million people entered the
country during 2016. Thousands of them are seeking to find refuge in
our country. However, without proper checks and controls, the
government will not have an accurate picture of how many foreign
nationals stay within our borders illegally.
If this is the case, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will not be
able to identify undocumented immigrants, and will ultimately fail to
process those individuals who are eligible for a permit.
While the DHA have an Inspectorate Unit tasked with tracing persons
who remain in the country illegally, the DA is concerned that the Unit
might be under-resourced.
For years the DA has consistently supported greater investment in
immigration services and this Parliamentary reply is exactly what the
DA has been warning for a long time.
Given the scale and potential ramp in numbers, this reply is an
indictment of the DHA’s deeply rooted inefficiencies to carry out its
mandate which is to ensure that immigration officers at the border
post execute their directive efficiently.
The DA is seriously concerned that if this is what happens in a single
year, it must mean that over time, millions of people have entered the
country illegally.
The DA will submit more questions to ascertain the staffing and budget
of this unit as an under-resourced unit will not be able to trace 340
000 people each year.
Minister Dlodlo must show political will and re-assure the public that
she will immediately resolve this unacceptable state of affairs.
Text of reply:
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 3517
DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2017
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 41 OF 2017
3517. Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
(1) What number of foreign nationals in 2016 (a) entered South Africa
on (i) visitor visas and/or (ii) holiday visas, (b) departed on or
before the date on which their visas expired and (c) of each
nationality (i) did not depart and (ii) applied for asylum;
(2) what (a) plans does her department have in place to find the
foreign nationals who did not leave the country and (b) what

steps
have been taken against the specified persons;
(3) what (a) procedures and/or (b) programmes does her department have
in place to ensure that visitors depart when their visas expire and
(c) is the success rate of the specified procedures and/or programmes
in each case? NW3944E
REPLY:
(1)(a)(i-ii) 15,256,170 (total recorded movements for traveller
arrivals in 2016 on visitors and /or holiday visas.
(1)(b) 14,988,933 (total recorded movements for traveller departures
in 2016 on visitors visas.
(1)(c)(i) The top five nationalities who’s movements indicate they
have not yet departed the RSA are:
1. Zimbabwe: 210,067
2. Mozambique: 47,909
3. Malawi: 44,818
4. Lesotho: 36,244
5. Nigeria: 5,509
(1)(c)(ii) The total number of asylum applications for 2016 was: 35,377
The top five nationalities that applied for asylum during 2016 are:
1. Zimbabwe: 7,964
2. DRC: 5,293
3. Ethiopia: 4,754
4. Nigeria: 3,276
5. Bangladesh: 2 834
(2)(a) The Inspectorate Unit of the department is tasked with tracing
persons who remain the country illegally. They conduct regular
inspections of places of employment and other institutions. They also
undertake tracing projects to locate persons who have overstayed in
the country.
(2)(b) Such persons are either charged criminally or deported from
South Africa.
(3)(a-b) The department does not allow such persons to apply for
change of status in the country. Travellers who overstay the number of
allocated days are declared undesirable for a period of 12 months or
up to a maximum of a 5 year prohibition depending on the number of
days overstayed in terms of s30(1)(h) of the Immigration Act. The
determination of the sanction is derived from the Enhanced Movement
Control System (EMCS).
In terms of the prohibition, a traveller cannot under any
circumstances re-enter the country unless an appeal for upliftment of
the sanction is considered and accepted by the department.
(3)(c) For the period 1 April 2016 â€` 31 March 2017 a total of 39,894
persons were declared undesirable. Due to the department only
collating overstay data from 1 April 2016, it is not possible to
provide a year-on-year trend analysis. For the period in question the
most common reasons cited for overstaying are based on medical grounds
or applicants awaiting temporary residence visa extensions. V.2079

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.

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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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