She left for the Netherlands in January to marry her South African
fiancé, Wade, after being told she could not get married in SA due
to the struggle to get her papers filed with the department.
Store manager Tauriq Hendricks said Schultz had been told that
because she left SA with an expired visa, she would be banned from
the country for five years.
Her husband returned alone to SA, and Hendricks said the future of
six able-bodied Brownies & Downies staff and 25 students with
disabilities ranging from Down syndrome to foetal alcohol syndrome
now hung in the balance.
Schultz explaining what had happened.
“I have battled in an appeals process spanning close on two years
to sort out my paperwork with the Department of Home Affairs, but
seem to hit one snag after the other,` she wrote.
`Apart from wishing to be reunited with my husband, Brownies &
Downies needs me back in South Africa to continue the work that we
have started.
“Essentially, Brownies & Downies runs a training programme where
young people with special needs are taught culinary skills so that
they are empowered, can have a sense of purpose, and can
contribute meaningfully to society.”
Since opening Brownies & Downies, the post said, Schultz had been
inundated with calls from special needs schools and families with
special needs children. They all wanted to start similar
initiatives in other parts of SA because of the

success achieved
in Cape Town.
`The impending closure of Brownies & Downies will not only impact
the many young people who are benefiting from the programme, but
trainers and other support staff face the prospect of losing their
jobs too,` said the post.
The training programme, which sees young people with special needs
taking orders and serving customers, has already integrated 12
people with intellectual disabilities in work environments.
Another seven are awaiting Schultz`s return so they can be placed.
Hendricks claimed home affairs set up unnecessary bureaucratic
barriers when it came to Schultz`s case.
`We even had inspections from home affairs, which is almost
unheard of. I`ve been in the restaurant industry for a long time
and home affairs never does any inspections on foreign nationals.
Why on Wendy?` he said.
`It felt like a bit of victimisation, the way they came in. They
specifically knew what they were looking for and they were very
arrogant about the situation.
`The point of this is, Wendy is Brownies & Downies. This is her
dream. She came to South Africa three years ago on a social work
experiment and saw a need for something like Brownies & Downies.
`She made sure that she did everything by the book, but by doing
everything by the book she`s probably shot herself in the foot.` V.2829

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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