One of the committee members, Manuel Panzo, told GroundUp last
week that he had been trying to call the office but no one
answered his calls. He said his colleagues had also been trying
through emails.
In October 2009, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
proposed to end refugee status for Angolans who fled the civil war
which ended in 2002. The South African government announced the
cessation of refugee status in 2013, but most of the former
refugees who wanted to stay were granted an Angolan Cessation
Permit (ACP) in an Angolan passport issued to them upon withdrawal
of their refugee status. These ACPs were valid for only two years.
In October 2015, the Scalabrini Centre submitted an application
for permanent residency on behalf of all ACP holders. After
several legal battles, the Department of Home Affairs eventually
agreed to grant the category of an `Angolan Special Permit`.
Angolan Special Permits were issued in 2018 and expire in 2021.The
conditions of the permit state that it cannot be extended, and its
conditions cannot be changed.
The former refugees had been placed in a precarious legal state
since 2013, Miranda Madikane, Director of The Scalabrini Centre,
said this week, with deep and damaging impacts on the community.
She told GroundUp, `Considering that Angolan former refugees
constitute a relatively small number of people, and considering
that they have a deep level of socio-economic integration in South
Africa, the ability to remain permanently within South Africa
would be an appropriate durable solution.`
Madikane said that it is in the interest of the South African
state to ensure that people living within its borders are
documented. `In our experience, the community of Angolan former
refugees and their families desperately want to seek durable
legality in

South Africa.`
In their letter to Home Affairs, the Angolan committee raised the
issue of uncertainty regarding their future when the permits
expire in 2021. They also asked the Department to provide a way
for children and spouses of Angolan former refugees to acquire
documents in South Africa. Some, who were not Angolan, had never
had documents though they were married to Angolan Special Permit
holders.
`Similarly, some children of ASP permit holders were too young or
unable to be documented in their parents` refugee status, and
could not access ASP permits,` the letter read.
The committee also asked the department to expand the Angolan
Special Permit programme to people with refugee or asylum seeker
status who had missed the deadlines, to legalise their stay in
South Africa. They explained that the problem is huge in small
cities such as Port Elizabeth.
Panzo said if the visas were not renewed it would harm many
families who had lived in South Africa for two decades and had
adult children born here who could not speak Portuguese. It would
also affect many people running businesses.
He said many people who had gone back to Angola after frustrations
with documentation had returned within two years. Though the
political system had improved and there was less persecution, life
there was `difficult`, he said. `Children born here will not
cope.`
GroundUp sent a query to Home Affairs on 26 September, and
followed up with another email on 30 September. On Tuesday
GroundUp called spokesperson Siyabulela Qoza who said he was not
aware of the query. He promised to check and respond. Home
Affairs` response will be added when it is received.
www.sami.co.za V.2974

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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