Port Elizabeth office not receiving new applicants, two years after
deadline set by court
More than two years after a deadline set by the courts, the Port
Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office is still not fully operational, MPs
were told last week.
Briefing Parliament’s portfolio committee on Home Affairs, Department
of Home Affairs officials acknowledged that although the Cape Town
Refugee Reception Office had started slowly receiving new applicants,
the Port Elizabeth office was not yet open for newcomers.
The reopening of the offices follows two court rulings. In March 2015,
the Supreme Court of Appeals ordered Home Affairs to reopen the Port
Elizabeth Refugee Reception Centre. Home Affairs had until 1 July 2016
to comply.
The same court ruled in September 2017 that Home Affairs must reopen
and maintain a fully functional refugee reception office in Cape Town
by the end of March 2018.
But neither office is fully functioning, MPs heard.
According to Home Affairs, instead of 62 people in the Port Elizabeth
office, there are only 22 officials, with two Refugee Status
Determination Officers. The estimated cost of seconding officials was
R450,000 a month and R4 million a year would be necessary to fund only
the critically important posts, Jackson Mackay from

the department said.
MP Tandiwe Elizabeth Kenye (ANC) asked what the department’s
recruitment strategy was to fill in the vacancies.
Mackay said the department’s budget was a constraint. “The R7.9
billion is not enough for the department, yet it is at the centre of
the government. Treasury should capacitate the department in this
regard,” said Mackay.
Hlengiwe Octavia Mkhaliphi (EFF) asked if the department had applied
for an extension from the courts.
Mackay said the department was complying with the court orders by
reporting to the court on progress.
Acting Director-General Thulani Mavuso said the Port Elizabeth office
should be ready to receive new applicants by the end of October 2018.
He said furniture and information technology were being installed.
To operate at full capacity the office had to rely on secondment from
the Desmond Tutu and Musina offices which received smaller volumes.
In Cape Town, the staff establishment was up to date with one or two
more officials needed. Five computers had been installed for
processing newcomers at the old building. The Department of Public
Works was still looking for permanent offices for the centre, Mackay said. V.2444

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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.5351
Click here for full article

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.5352
Click here for full article

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.5353
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

The City of Cape Town has slammed the Department of Home Affairs for creating confusion and continuing to score “infuriating” own goals in launching remote work visas in the country. Mayoral committee member for economic growth, James Vos, said that the last month has seen the department shoot itself in the foot with the premature gazetting and subsequent withdrawal of regulations that would create this category of visa. “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,” Vos said. V.5346
Click here for full article

Recently settled case in the Labour Court demonstrated that excluding a job applicant because of their criminal record is only lawful when the requirements of that job explicitly outline and justify the need for a clean criminal record. However, legal experts say that the court’s decision ultimately delinked trust and honesty from the inherent requirements of a job, which was “concerning.” ENS Africa’s Nils Braatvedt, Kim Vova, and Lutho Zono examined the background, outcome, and subsequent analysis of the recent court ruling in O’Connor v LexisNexis. V.5347
Click here for full article