The Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office was officially reopened on
Friday by Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba.
The province has been without such a facility since the Department of
Home Affairs unilaterally closed it in 2011, according to a GroundUp
report.
Following years of legal action, public outcry and civil society
activism, the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the department in March
2015 to reopen the facility by July 1, 2015.
Years after that court deadline, the facility has at last reopened at
new premises in Sydenham.
`The new office will provide adequate accommodation with which to
extend better services to persons with legitimate claims. It has a
streamlined process flow; open spaces; baby-changing stations; and
multiple ablution facilities. Provision has also been made to
accommodate the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs, Appeal Board
hearings and immigration inspectorate facilities,` the department
announced.
`It was a very long and bruising battle,` secretary general of the
Somali Association of South Africa, Mohammed Kat, said. `We won all
the court cases we brought against them, but the Department of Home
Affairs (DHA) kept appealing our victory until they reached the end of
the tether. They had no choice but to abide by the Supreme Court of
Appeal decision.`
Although he was happy refugees and asylum seekers would no longer have
to travel to other provinces to apply for permits, Kat said the
reopening was a bittersweet victory because a lot of time and
resources had been spent fighting the government in court.
`We were forced to shut down`
The Somali

Association of South Africa, together with the Project for
Conflict Resolution and Development, and aided by Lawyers for Human
Rights, took the matter to court in 2011. The court ruled that the
closure was unlawful but DHA appealed the decision.
`We were forced to shut down the office [in 2011] because of endemic
corruption that had taken root at the office,` said Deputy Minister of
Home Affairs Fatima Chohan. `The office was being abused by human
trafficking syndicates who were bringing in migrants who were not
refugees.`
Chohan said businesses around the old refugee office had a court order
to close the old office because they said it was a nuisance to their
businesses. She said the landlord also refused to renew the lease
agreement for the building they were renting.
`The department could not cope with the existing budget but we had to
abide by the court`s decision. The courts had spoken, we had to do
it,` she said.
Minister Gigaba, who was there to reopen the centre, responded to two
questions before an SABC reporter asked him about allegations of his
involvement in the department`s procurement process.
`The minister does not deal with the procurement process. That is the
question the director general can answer,` said Gigaba.
Gigaba spoke isiZulu to the reporter apparently to placate him. When
the reporter persisted, spokesperson Thabo Mokgola stopped questions.
The Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office is located at 10A Gibaud
Road, Telkom Building, Sydenham, Lakeside. V.2550

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