The department said when visa applications were internally, there was
gross incompetence that resulted in adjudication delays.
The department of home affairs has come clean on information
regarding the service-level agreement contained in the contract it
has signed with visa application service provider VFS.
Among a raft of allegations were that Rajesh Gupta and Duduzane Zuma
are shareholders in the company, and that VFS provided outsourced
services that should be performed by departmental employees.
“The department of home affairs entered into a contract with VFS
Global on 27 October 2010 for management of visa and permit
applications intake at the South African Missions abroad. On 2
December 2013, the department entered into a similar contract with
VFS for management of visa and permit applications intake in South
Africa. The contract with VFS will expire on 31 December 2018,” said
departmental spokesperson Mayihlome Tshwete.
Tshwete told The Citizen in an emailed response that VFS was not
entitled to any payments in terms of the contract and thus no monies
were paid to the service provider since 2010.
“The service is rendered at no cost to the department. The appointed
company invested in the project by securing all visa centres at their
own expense. The technology has been deployed without home affairs
being liable to its costs. The staff members of the company are also
at the company’s expense.
“The company charges clients management fee and also what is due to
the state. Money to the state is collected by the company
electronically and paid to the national revenue account. The
department receives regular reconciliation of received revenue. What
companies charge to clients has been agreed between the department
and VFS,” Tshwete said.
The department is satisfied that since the service provider was
brought on board, “there has been a marked improvement on the
delivery of performance targets”.
The department believes that in the last quarter of 2017/2018
financial year, “96% of permanent residence applications were
adjudicated within eight months for applications collected within the
country, 97.5% of business and general work visas were adjudicated
within eight weeks”.
Speaking

to The Citizen earlier today, director-general Mkuseli
Apleni denied that the department had the capacity to provide the
outsourced services, arguing if the department was burdened with the
responsibility of receiving visa applications, that would likely
affect the adjudication period timelines.
“The service that VFS provides is the management of application
intake and handing over outcomes of visas on behalf of the
department. This is an international practice in the world that aims
to bring about efficiency in the visa application process.
“Countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ivory
Coast and Ghana use similar services, but not necessarily the same
service provider. Home affairs does not have adequate funding to
capacitate front offices with staff, offices as well as equipment in
order to provide effective and efficient services to the clients,
hence this business partnership with VFS,” Tshwete explained.
Tshwete said this function was previously performed by regional
offices with less capacity, which resulted in “incomplete
applications, delayed capturing of applications, delayed capturing of
outcomes and lack of uniformity of applications management throughout
the offices”.
“The offshore contract was a closed bid process and the award was
presented and approved by the Bid Adjudication Committee on 11 March
2010. The Chairperson of the Bid Adjudication Committee was the then
Chief Financial Officer and current Director-General Mr. Mkuseli
Apleni.
“The local service contract was an open bid process and the award was
presented and approved by the Bid Adjudication Committee on 07 May
2013. The Chairperson of the Bid Adjudication Committee was the then
Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Rudzani Rasikhinya,” Tshwete wrote.
On the contentious question of who really owns the company, the
department pointed out “VFS Global is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Kuoni Group, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, whose principal
owner is EQT, a leading global investment firm, headquartered in
Stockholm, Sweden”. V.2174

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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