The Department of Home Affairs` deputy director general of immigration
services has denied any knowledge of corruption relating to the
issuing of the Gupta dynasty`s visas to stay in South Africa, as
alleged in the GuptaLeaks emails.
`I did not know anything, except of course what I have read in the
leaked emails,` Jackson McKay said about the thousands of pages of
emails between various members of the Gupta business empire.
Their companies included Sahara Computers, the now closed ANN7
television channel and The New Age newspaper.
`We will investigate these matters and get to the bottom of it,` said
McKay.
He also told Parliament`s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs that he
had never accepted a gift from anyone, nor done any favours for or
received any from the multitudes of people who call him for urgent
help on his phone number, which is listed on the department`s website.
The committee sat for the second phase of its investigation into the
naturalisation of members of the Gupta family and the issuing of visas
issued to workers who came from India to set up its television station
operations.
The committee also wants to know how some of the Guptas were
naturalised as South African citizens, and whether Home Affairs
Minister Malusi Gigaba may have acted inappropriately in granting this
to them.
Committee chairperson Hlomani Chauke asked McKay to look `deep` into
himself and swallow his pride to share anything he knew about visas
issued to the Guptas and their associates, as well as employees from
India.
Chauke said at the meeting, which ran late into the night, that the
committee was not a disciplinary inquiry but that it needed to get to
the bottom of the claims.
`If we fail, the only option to ask Parliament to refer this report to
the Zondo [state capture] commission[ of inquiry], and then [Deputy
chief Justice Raymond] Zondo and his investigators will sit on you,`
said Chauke.
He indicated earlier that they would go as far back as 1993 and would
call apartheid-era home affairs minister Danie Schutte to answer
questions.
This was because Atul Gupta was the first of the family to arrive in
South Africa - in January 1994 - before the first democratic elections.
McKay replied: `I have no pride to swallow chairperson. I am always
truthful. What I am sharing with you here is what I know.`
He said the allegations involving the department, raised in the
GuptaLeaks and being raised before the committee, were a symptom of
problems in the Department of Home Affairs and that he wished he had
the resources to investigate every single visa issued, for compliance.
However, he could shed some light on some questions posed by MPs.
He explained that people who come to South Africa for business, needed
to be specific about their visas because a plain business or tourist
visa did not allow work for pay.
The visas for ANN7`s India-sourced technical start-up team were issued
to them, instead of making the company apply for local expertise, on
the grounds that they were already familiar with the company`s
operations in India.
They received the visas because a company called Essel Media, which
owns Zee TV in India, bought shares in Infinity Media, which is
registered in South Africa as a holding company of ANN7 and The New Age.
Because Essel media bought shares in Infinity, their technical workers
qualified for intra-company transfer visas, granted on

the basis of
the affiliation between Essel and Infinity.
The people were then `transferred` from the holding company in India,
to the South African company. These visas last for four years and
because they brought specific skills there was no need for their
positions to be advertised to locals.
He did not have the overall numbers of visas issued for all Gupta
company associates and family from India at hand since Atul`s arrival.
This would have to be investigated by the department`s officials in
India, who would have to do a manual paper search for their
applications. This can take up to three months.
However, he could say that Ajay Gupta was given a visa in terms of the
old Aliens Control Act which allowed work permits to hire people,
invest, and run a business, or be a partner in a business.
Atul Gupta arrived on January 11, 1994 at the now-OR Tambo
International Airport on a visitor`s visa for non-remunerative
business activities.
Rajesh Kumar Gupta arrived on April 22, 1998 on a visitor`s visa for
non-remunerative business activities.
There was a record of Rajesh Kumar Gupta and his family leaving South
Africa several times between the expiration of his original work
permit on April 21, 1999, and the approval of the conversion to a
business permit on August 29, 2000.
He said he could also shed some light on the number of employee visas
issued via a `raid` by the department at the company`s premises in
Midrand in 2013.
There were 40 foreign national employees - 31 held the intra-company
transfer visas and nine had visitors` visas.
These visas were not processed in South Africa.
In a presentation by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) earlier
in the day, it was alleged that there were emails from the GuptaLeaks
that purported to show that two officials were transferred to India
when the department had no budget, or a need for extra staff there.
During this time an employee of the Guptas` companies, Ashu Chawla,
allegedly managed to expedite several visas through a relationship
with some of the department`s employees.
McKay said this would need to be investigated because there should be
no direct contact between a visa applicant and the official who
processes it to avoid abuse of the process.
The department also uses the services of a company called VFS to
facilitate applications and this provides a buffer. This contract ends
in December.
Vusi Mkhize, former deputy director general for civic services, said
in his written reply that Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba had the
authority to grant early naturalisation under exceptional services, in
terms of the Citizenship Act.
He said it was common cause that Ajay Gupta and his family approached
Gigaba over this, but they were not treated differently.
He said the Gupta family met the `substantive` requirements for
naturalisation.
Atul Gupta attained `status` in 2002 and Rajesh Gupta in 2006. They
did not have to renounce their Indian citizenship because this
requirement only came into effect in 2013 and the law did not apply
retrospectively.
Ajay Gupta is not a citizen and did not attend any naturalisation
ceremony. V.2450

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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