Is history repeating itself with unabridged birth certificates?
South Africa faces an embarrassment of spectacular proportions as
publicity about the new birth certificate regime gives the impression
that immigration officials are relaxing requirements. Irrespective of
what the officials might do in SA, it is at airline check-in desks
overseas where things will implode. The publicity could lead to
tourists in large numbers arriving at airports and being denied
boarding by airlines, who have to follow the letter of the law as
gazetted in 2014, until it is actually amended.
The tourism industry and its stakeholders have expressed
disappointment at the failure of the South African government to
effect any real change to the unabridged birth certificate (UBC)
regulation, which remains firmly in place, according to gazetted law.
In an article published by Tourism Update on February 12, 2016, the
Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) “recommended a dispensation in terms
of which travellers would be ‘strongly advised’ to bring along proof
of the relationship between the child and the parent or guardian, such
as an unabridged birth certificate, or equivalent document with both
parents’ particulars.”
Sound familiar? That’s because the statement made by then Director
General of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), Mkuseli Apleni, and
was regurgitated on Tuesday, September 25, 2018, by current Home
Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba: “The key changes will be that rather
than requiring all foreign national travelling minors to carry
documentation proving parental consent for the minor to travel, we
will rather ‘strongly recommend’ that travellers carry this
documentation.”
The then spokesperson of the DHA, Mayihlome Tshwete, at the time
(February, 2016) said that in order to change this requirement,
amendments needed to be made to certain sections of the regulations.
He said this process, which included setting up an advisory board, was
under way, and would probably be concluded in the next three months.
That was 32 months ago.
Gigaba said in his announcement that his department would issue an
international travel

advisory before the end of October 2018 after
consultation with the Immigration Advisory Board (IAB). This was
echoed by Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, in a statement on
September 26 saying that the amendment to the Regulations would be
gazetted by Gigaba for information in October 2018. “From the end of
October 2018, when both parents travel with a minor, no additional
documentation will be required,” said Hanekom.
Until the regulation amendment is gazetted, however, airlines remain
bound by the regulation currently in force, and foreign nationals
travelling with children will still need to have proof of relationship
with the child and/or parental consent to travel.

(12)(a) Where parents are travelling with a child, such parents must
produce an unabridged birth certificate of the child reflecting the
particulars of the parents of the child.
With history seeming to repeat itself, and mirrored statements made in
2016 and 2018, the industry may rightfully believe UBCs could remain
in place for another two years:
2016: …airline check-in staff no longer have to ensure that foreign
passengers are carrying a UBC when travelling with a minor �` statement
made by Home Affairs, 2016.
2018: Foreign nationals travelling to South Africa will no longer be
required to have unabridged certificates for their minor children upon
arrival in South Africa �` statement made by Home Affairs, 2018.
In the refreshed regime, when it happens, immigration officers will be
trained to detect `high-risk` individuals at the gates, says Gigaba.
But former DHA spokesperson Tshwete tweeted that putting the power of
discretion into immigration officers` hands would be counter-productive.
CEO of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Chris
Zweigenthal, commented at the time in 2016: “Until there is an
official change to the regulation, the requirement to carry a UBC is
still the status quo” adding that he would advise people to not take a
chance �` bring everything. V.2490

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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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