The parliamentary portfolio committee on home affairs wants strict control of South Africa’s borders and documentation of everyone passing through all ports of entry.
The announcement by the committee, which would visit Johannesburg towards the end of August, came as pressure mounted for South African authorities, particularly home affairs, to strictly implement immigration laws to prevent illegal and undocumented immigrants from entering the country.
The committee’s quick response followed criticism of home affairs by Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba for slackness in dealing with illegal and undocumented immigrants in the city. Mashaba put pressure on the committee when he wrote a letter asking for its intervention, after home affairs failed to act to tighten controls at the borders.
Mashaba wrote to the committee to increase its oversight on the matter due to increasing lawlessness involving some immigrants. Last week foreign nationals stoned police in the Johannesburg CBD after the law enforcers came to confiscate counterfeit goods from foreign vendors.

The confrontation with the police sparked a huge outcry from authorities including national, provincial and local governments, various political parties and a number of civil society organisations. Home affairs was further criticised for the illegal immigrants that had filled the country’s major urban centres such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.
Committee chairperson Bongani Bongo yesterday said his committee was committed to strengthening oversight on various aspects of the department’s work, especially around immigration
Bongo called for the full implementation of immigration laws and regulations to ensure that everyone within the borders of South Africa is documented. He said the information gathered through documentation

was essential for other government departments and non-governmental organisations to plan their work effectively.
“The portfolio committee has committed itself to strengthening oversight on various aspects of the department’s work, especially around immigration. The National Development Plan is clear on the advantages of legal and developmental migration, and the intention is to strengthen the department’s work in this area,” he said.
“The committee is clear that immigration should be legal and it wants the department to strengthen procedures for processing immigrants’ applications. It is untenable that a country can have large numbers of undocumented immigrants and nothing is done about it,” Bongo said.
There is a plan to implement a border management authority, which Bonga said was necessary to safeguard the country’s borders.
The committee wanted a seamless process in and out of the country as one pillar in curbing illegal immigration. They also wanted to see capacity enhancement given priority at the immigration services inspectorate, which was currently understaffed.
“But enforcement must be preceded by properly working application systems that are not prone to inordinate delays,” Bongo said.
The committee called for the fight against forgery and corruption to be strengthened, starting inside the home affairs department. Accepting bribes to circumvent the system will not be tolerated.
The committee would conduct an oversight visit to Gauteng from 26-30 August 2019 to hold discussions with various stakeholders, including home affairs, to find a solution to the issue of documentation for immigrants.
www.sami.co.za V.2939

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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