The ANC has failed to secure SA’s national borders, says the party, as
it ramps up its anti-illegal immigration campaign ahead of 2019 elections
SA’s borders should be “closed” and stricter immigration controls must
be implemented, the DA said on Monday.
Illegal immigration is seen as a powerful electoral tool ahead of the
crucial 2019 elections, in which the DA hopes to push the ANC below
50% in both Gauteng and in the Northern Cape, as well as increase its
share of the vote in the Western Cape and nationally.
The DA’s Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba has taken a hard line on
illegal immigration in the city, while Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga,
who is also the DA’s Gauteng premier candidate, also recently raised
the issue in a letter to home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba.
Immigration is, however, an extremely sensitive topic in SA, with the
targeting of foreign nationals a big issue. This was epitomised by the
widescale xenophobic violence that erupted in 2015.
Immigration is one of the DA’s key campaign pillars. The party
announced at its campaign launch in Johannesburg in September that it
will campaign against corruption, illegal immigration and crime, as
well as for jobs.
The party provided details at a briefing in Johannesburg on Monday of
its plan to curbed illegal immigration.
“We have to close our borders. The fact that our borders are porous,
you know people can just enter the country,” said Jacques Julius, the
DA’s spokesperson on immigration for the elections.
He added that it was also important to change the perception that all
foreigners in the country were here illegally.
Julius said the ANC had failed to secure SA’s national borders, and
that this has led to the country not having reliable figures as to how
many immigrants enter its borders.
“Estimates have ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions. This
lack of critical data on immigration means that the government cannot
know or plan to provide services to our own citizens and to those
immigrants who are here

legally. It is impossible to make proper plans
for service delivery with no reliable data on which to base decisions
concerning budget allocations,” Julius said.
He said the ANC government did not know how many people were in SA
illegally, and that it proved incapable of addressing and fixing the
challenges of immigration and border security.
He said a DA-led government would “secure” SA’s borders and “stop
illegal immigration”.
The DA said this would be done by revamping and improving border
management and governmental co-ordination.
Julius said the party would review the number and size of border
posts, while also training immigration officials and police officers.
The party has also promised that it would “eradicate” corruption and
inefficiency in the home affairs department, saying it will initiate a
once-off investigation into corruption by a “reformed Hawks”.
“Any officials found guilty of corruption and/or fraud will be
blacklisted and prevented from working for any state agency or
government department. To address inefficiency, the DA would enhance
and improve the systems and technology, capacity, and competency
levels through adequate training to officials at home affairs,” Julius
said.
He said undocumented immigrants should be regularised or assisted in
leaving the country if they did not meet the criteria for remaining in
SA, which would require “innovative and strategic interventions to
properly record and regularise undocumented foreign nationals already
in the country, and actively protect, rescue and host refugees and
those who have been trafficked, smuggled or abused within or across
our borders.”
He said the DA believed that legitimate refugees and asylum seekers
should be assisted and supported, and that SA should attract foreign
nationals with scarce skills to SA to help grow the economy and create
jobs V.2540

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article