`Give us papers. Refugees are not criminals,` chanted a group of
approximately 60 refugee representatives marching to Parliament in
Cape Town on Wednesday asking to be made legal.
`Today is international refugee day and we took that opportunity to
come to Parliament and put some pressure on the Department of Home
Affairs,` Director of Africans for Change, Germain Kalombo Ntambue
told GroundUp.
The refugees were from countries such as Zimbabwe, DRC and Burundi and
supported by organisations like the Refugee Rights Forum, Voice of
Africans for Change and Kongo Freedom Fighters.
`It is winter and people are standing in lines from 04:00. Most will
leave in the evening without being served and told to come the next
day. So you tell me who is making us illegal?` said Ntambue.
`It is the same home affairs that has been conducting raids and
arresting people with no papers.`
In a ruling on September 29, 2017, the Supreme Court of Appeal
declared unlawful the decision by the Department of Home Affairs to
close the Cape Town refugee reception office in 2012, and ordered the
department to re-open the office by March 2018.
But as yet the office has not been re-opened and several refugee
organisations have taken the department to court to enforce the order.
`We are standing nine months later without the centre in Cape Town
being opened and no clarity from the Minister as to why,` said Ntambue.
On June 19 GroundUp reported that the process to secure premises is
underway and should be complete by July 2018 according to the
Department of Public Works.
For 19-year-old Azama Damas from the DRC the success of the march
would mean an education. She came to South Africa with her father in
2013. Her father passed away in 2016 and she has been staying with
family friends since.
`I started school in South Africa in Grade eight but had to drop out
this year because I was told I could not write matric without papers,`
said Damas. `I have been everywhere because I want to get an

education.`
`Everywhere I go they ask me for papers, there is no way for me to
better my life without having papers in this country, right now I am
wasting time sitting at home and not doing anything.`
In the memorandum the refugees asked for the cancellation of fines for
late extension of refugee permits, for Home Affairs to give the
go-ahead to the Department of Education for children to attend school
while awaiting the processes of home affairs, and for toilets to be
installed in the refugee centre.
`It is unacceptable to see the custodians of laws ignoring a court
ruling under the watch of the government, the judiciary and
parliament,` stated the memorandum.
`We call upon the South African government to uphold the principles of
democracy and democratic values where refugees and asylum seekers are
concerned.`
Burundi refugee Nijimbere Luqman has been in South Africa for two
years and has been struggling to get papers for himself and his
eight-year-old son.
`I moved here, leaving my family and my country, to be safe,` said
Luqman. `I have not spoken to my wife. I do not know if she is still
alive. I wanted a better future for my child but now he is sitting at
home and unable to go to school because of papers,` he said.
Another DRC refugee Vicky Nkosi has been in South Africa for five
years, and although he has papers, his wife and two children do not.
`My wife gave birth two weeks ago and we had to spend a lot of money
on private doctors because public hospitals would not accept her
without papers,` said Nkosi. `We have been everywhere trying to get
papers, taking a lot of money out of our pockets that we do not have.`
Nkosi works as a freelance photographer and his wife is unemployed.
The memorandum was accepted by the Deputy Director of Home Affairs,
Ignatius Mokgele, and Home Affairs Coordinator in the Cape Metro,
Samual Plaatjies. V.2301

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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