Scores of asylum seekers turned away at Foreshore office
Asylum seekers on Tuesday morning gather outside the Foreshore
offices of Home Affairs. Many new applicants were expecting to be
processed, but they were turned away despite a court order.
It was chaotic outside the Foreshore offices of Home Affairs on
Tuesday morning. Security personnel were patrolling the long queues
of foreign nationals, many of whom had come to apply for the first
time. But security officers told GroundUp that the Foreshore office
would not be serving any new asylum seekers.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruled in September that Home
Affairs must “reopen and maintain a fully functional refugee
reception office in or around the Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality
by Friday 31 March 2018.”
But on Tuesday, 3 April, the Foreshore offices turned away new
refugee applicants from the DRC, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Somalia and
elsewhere.
Abdul (surname omitted) was one of a group of 20 Somalis applying for
asylum for the first time. They had travelled from Atlantis on Monday
morning. Abdul arrived in Cape Town in 2015 and has been surviving on
piecemeal work. He can’t start a business, open a bank account or go
to an educational facility because he does not have asylum papers. He
arrived at 5:45am at the Foreshore office. At 8am, an official
announced that no newcomers would be processed.
“He did not take down our names or give us appointments. He only said
we should come back,” said Abdul. “I am living in fear that police
can arrest me at anytime. I am powerless. I didn’t want to argue with
the officials and I can’t force them to help me.”
Baku (surname omitted), who is from the DRC, applied for asylum in
Johannesburg. He moved to Cape Town in 2015, but the Foreshore
offices refused

to renew his permit. He is now staying at a church in
Goodwood where refugees are provided with blankets and food.
Baku has struggled to get work because he has no valid document. He
is now using a letter from the Legal Resources Centre to show police.
It reads: “We are advised that asylum seekers whose applications were
not originally registered in Cape Town are being turned away by
officials at the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office…. Officials
insist that asylum seekers return to the office where they first
applied for asylum in order to renew their permits. In the meantime
any arrest of asylum seekers in the Western Cape by reason of an
expired permit might possibly be unlawful and will be premature
pending the finalisation of this matter by court.”
Abdikadir Mohamed, Western Cape Director and National Spokesperson
Somali Association of South Africa, said, “We are currently
consulting with our legal partners but will make an official
statement soon.”
At the time of publishing, Home Affairs had not responded to
GroundUp’s emails and text messages. In March the Legal Resource
Centre accused Home Affairs of defying the court order by not
reporting properly to the SCA on its progress towards meeting the
April deadline.
On 30 January, Home Affairs had told GroundUp a new refugee office
for Cape Town was on the way. Department of Home Affairs spokesperson
David Hlabane said, “The Department of Home Affairs has written to
the Department of Public Works to get a suitable building for the
refugees’ office to give effect to the court order and to ensure that
all the needs of refugees and asylum seekers are properly met.” V.2175

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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