Asylum seekers walk past the Home Affairs offices on the Foreshore in
Cape Town. File picture: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA) Archives
Cape Town - Three Zimbabwean refugee children aged 7, 12 and 14, were
forced to stay out of school for two weeks and missed examinations
because they had to travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town to renew
their refugee status. The Pretoria Home Affairs office refused to
serve them because they originally applied for asylum in Cape Town.
And their overnight trip to Cape Town became ten days, as they tried
to navigate the Home Affairs bureaucracy.

Before the family left for Cape Town on 22 May, their school
threatened to deregister the children because they had been absent for
two days trying to get their documents renewed at Pretoria Home
Affairs. “If they are not back to school within ten days, we will
deregister them,” the mother was told.

On Wednesday, 23 May at about 4 am Nyarai (not her real name) arrived
at Home Affairs on the Cape Town Foreshore. An official told her that
Zimbabweans are only served on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. But the
official also said that Friday, 25 May was not an option because the
building was going to be fumigated.

Nyarai tried to negotiate with the official, explaining that she
needed help urgently. She explained that she didn’t have family in
Cape Town, nor money for food and accommodation for such a long period
of time. But, she says, the official refused to listen to her story.
“We don’t care about your story that you are from Joburg. It’s not our
problem … we don’t want to hear it,” Nyarai says the official told her.

She also told the official about the school’s threat to deregister the
children, hoping that he would offer her a formal letter for the
school. But the official said the document she was going to be issued
was her proof. “I became emotional and burst out in tears. Why are
these people not considerate? Why work with refugees when they do not
have refugees’ interests at heart?”

Nyarai had to

hitchhike to Cape Town because she didn’t have enough
money for bus fare. “I am a single parent. I work as a hairdresser and
the only days I make money are the last three days of the month, which
I already spent here in Cape Town. I rent a hairdresser’s chair for
R2,500. I need to pay for our [home rent], buy food and pay school
fees,” she said.

When she returned on Monday, 28 May at about 4 am the queue was
already long. The official then said there were too many people and
gave them appointment dates. She was given an appointment for 31 May.

On 31 May at about 2 pm she was finally served, but with a notice of
intention to withdraw her refugee status. She has 30 days to appeal.
“This means I have to travel back to Cape Town again at month end. I
was told that because I travelled to Zimbabwe in 2007 I invalidated my
refugee status.”

Nyarai said she fled persecution in Zimbabwe. “Before the 2005
parliamentary elections, ZANU PF leaders would come and recruit young
girls and boys, forcing us to sing liberation struggle songs and do
slogans. Youths in the same area were also forced to join a national
youth service. When I refused to join the national service I was
shambokked. I then crossed to South Africa through Beitbridge border.
My wounds were still fresh when I sought asylum.”

Last month Home Affairs spokesperson Thabo Mokgola told GroundUp that
children are prioritised at the Foreshore office. He also said that
applicants who can show proof that they are travelling are prioritised.

Anthony Muteti of Voice of Africans for Change said, “It is an
unfortunate incident that clearly shows how insensitive Home Affairs
officials are. This runs contrary to their principle of Batho Pele.”

Home Affairs has been taken to court a number of times over its policy
of only serving asylum seekers and refugees in the centres where they
originally applied V.2274

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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