South Africa’s overseas visitors declined slightly in June, but remain
consistent with seasonal trends.
Statistics SA’s latest tourism and migration report, reflecting
arrival numbers for June, reveals that South Africa saw marginal
growth of 2.8% from June last year. However, overseas numbers in fact
declined, reflecting a drop of 1.7% year-to-date arrivals.
The top ten countries remain the same as May, with their positions in
the top ten having shifted slightly. Important to note is the increase
in arrivals from key source markets such as USA and UK, which are
consistently the top two countries. The top ten countries and their
percentage changes from the same time last year are:
1. USA (up 1.2%)
2. UK (up 3.2%)
3. Germany (down 12.8%)
4. Australia (down 9.1%)
5. India (down 8.5%)
6. France (down 8.7%)
7. China (up 9.1%)
8. Brazil (down 10.6%)
9. Netherlands (down 0.9%)
10. Canada (down 0.7%)
Overall, European numbers have declined, showing 2% less than the same
time last year. North America has shown a small amount of growth, up 0.7%.
An examination of the trends over the last four years shows an
expected seasonal decline around June. Comparatively, although 2018 is
down slightly from 2017, it continues to reflect the seasonal shifts
seen in previous years. The graph below reflects the overall numbers
of the last four years to illustrate this.

The Chinese market continues to grow. Last month, Tourism Minister
Derek Hanekom made special note of this during a pre-recorded
interview screened at the

Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
conference. Hanekom encouraged South Africans to welcome Chinese
tourists, even suggesting learning Mandarin to tap into the market
more effectively.
The Portuguese market continues to decline, reflecting a 21% decline
in numbers from 2017, compared with the year-to-date figures for this
year. Conversely, the Argentinian arrivals have grown a remarkable 30%
this year, adding to strong numbers from South America which has grown
to 57 051 arrivals so far this year, 6.7% higher than last year.
South Africa’s largest source market overall continues to be SADC
countries, making up 73% of all arrivals and 98% of the total arrivals
from Africa. With 3.7 million arrivals this year, this is a 4.3%
increase in year-to-date numbers from last year. South Africa’s
neighbouring countries provided the most visitors with the largest
being Zimbabwe followed by Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini (Swaziland)
and Botswana. Angola has shown the most growth, up 22% from the same
month last year, followed by Malawi which is up 10%.
Consistent with these numbers, the report indicates that the majority
of visitors to SA arrived by road (74.8%). Air transport made up a
quarter of all arrivals with the majority of those (74%) using OR
Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg as their port of entry.
Overseas arrivals to Cape Town International Airport remain consistent
at 21% of total arrivals. V.2408

Table of Contents 1.What is eHomeAffairs? 2.Step-by-Step Guide to Using eHomeAffairs for Your Smart ID Online Application 3.What Do I Need to Start My Smart ID Online Application? 4.Bank Branches Offering Smart IDs 5.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) The South African Department of Home Affairs has introduced the eHomeAffairs portal, which is a significant advancement in streamlining the Smart ID online application process. This detailed guide delves into the user-friendly features of the platform, making Smart ID and passport applications convenient and accessible at just a click of a button. V.5358
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Bureaucratic procedures and a whole lot of red tape are the only things standing between Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka and potential call-ups to the Springboks squad this year. To the average local sports fan, the Tshituka’s are just a set of brothers casually dominating rugby games for the Lions and Sharks, respectively. But there’s way more to their story and in order for them to reach their potential on the rugby field, the South African government in general, and the Department of Home Affairs in particular, need to come to the party. V.5359
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Foreign companies are leaving South Africa due to a hostile business environment, and the government’s response to recent departures discourages future investment. This is according to Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso, who explained in her most recent newsletter that the more attractive a country is, the more often you can expect investment to be made than withdrawn. “You can expect that foreign investors will come and go from South Africa, depending on many things, including global strategies and our links to the rest of the world,” she said. “But while decisions are inevitably going to happen both ways, the more attractive our country is, the more often you can expect investment to be made than withdrawn.” V.5360
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All 30 bank branches offering Smart ID cards and passport renewals Hanno Labuschagne14 May 2024 All 30 bank branches offering Smart ID cards and passport renewals Over half the bank branches that support Smart ID card issuing and passport renewals are in Gauteng. In addition, more than 83% of the branches are in the three most populous provinces in South Africa, while only about 56.3% of the country’s population lives in these provinces. Many people will have to travel far to use one of these branches instead of a regular, problem-ridden Home Affairs office to get a new ID or passport. Thirty bank branches support the eHomeAffairs system introduced by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in 2016. V.5355
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The Constitutional Court recently ruled that children born in South Africa to foreign parents qualify for South African citizenship in terms of Section 2 of the South African Citizenship Act. That is, if you were born in South Africa to foreign parents who have not been admitted as permanent residents, you qualify to apply for South African citizenship upon becoming a major if your birth was registered and if you have lived here all your life, irrespective of the date of your birth and you have not accepted the nationality of another country. The judgment also reduced the term for applying for citizenship by holders of permanent residence from 5 years to 10 years by declaring Regulation 3(2)(a) of the Citizenship Act Regulations unconstitutional. V.5357
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Turkey Visa for South African Citizens In 2013, the e Visa program was launched by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, enabling citizens of more than 100 countries, such as South Africa, to request a Turkish visa through the internet. Therefore, South African tourists favor Turkey as a destination. South African citizens are no longer required to visit the Turkish embassy in person as they can now conveniently apply for their e-visa online. V.5348
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The Australian High Court passed a judgement on Friday that dismissed an Iranian asylum seeker’s plea to be released from immigration detention and enter the country. The Iranian asylum seeker, applicant ASF-17, applied to the Federal Court of Australia for a writ of habeas corpus in 2023 on the basis that his continuing detention exceeded the constitutional limitation identified in the orders of NZYQ v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs released the week prior. The applicant has been refusing to cooperate with the process of being removed from Australia to Iran since 2018, arguing that he would be at risk of persecution for his sexual orientation and religious beliefs. V.5349
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Home Affairs officials are “selling South Africa to foreign nationals” out of greed, says Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. In an exclusive interview with The Witness on Thursday, Motsoaledi said 182 department officials were dismissed for fraud and corruption between 2018 and 2024. Among those dismissed was a chief director who was implicated in assisting a foreign national in getting a permanent residence permit in the country, at a fee. Those who bear the brunt of the corruption are mostly drug addicts, whose personal information is used by Home Affairs officials to create fake IDs and passports for foreigners. V.5350
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Visa waivers for travellers from Kenya and Ghana have catalysed a remarkable 15.4% increase in international tourist numbers to South Africa. File picture: Tracey Adams/ Independent Newspapers South Africa`s tourism sector is experiencing a renaissance fuelled by the recent removal of visa requirements for travellers from select African countries. The latest data from Statistics South Africa showed a remarkable surge in international arrivals, signalling a promising trajectory for the industry. V.5354
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The City of Cape Town has called on the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to address the visa system crisis and confusion over remote work visas. James Vos, the City’s Mayco member for economic growth, says the department ‘shot itself in the foot’ with the premature gazetting and withdrawal of regulations. ‘On 28 March, the DHA published the amended immigration regulations. This, however, was a day before the closing date of the public comment period. And then, on 12 April, the minister issued a notice withdrawing the 28 March amendments.’ As reported by BusinessTech, the regulations replaced the critical skills list with a new points-based system and introduced the remote work visa category. V.5345
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