“We are now handling a very difficult case of somebody who got
married and after getting citizenship he got divorced and went
home to fetch the ‘real’ wife. So we are taking his citizenship
away. But he is resisting and says that we are evil as we found
out about his fake marriages after a long time. So he is
threatening to go to court,” he said.
Between April 2018 and June 2019 Motsoaledi said there were more
than 2,000 fraudulent marriages, almost all involving foreign
nationals. About 1,100 had since been annulled while more than 600
were referred to courts to be dissolved through divorce.
Speaking to TimesLIVE at the Valentine’s Day mass wedding at
Robben Island on Friday, Motsoaledi said young women were often
victims of these undesirable marriages, enticed with money.
“Young women who need money for their nails, hair and cellphones
are usually caught up in these marriages. Some of the girls do it
knowingly that they don’t want this marriage, but they do it
anyway knowing that they will just discard it. But the new
marriage policy will be very clear and have measures in place to
minimise occurrence of these marriages of convenience. Those who
think that getting married is a game will realise that it’s a
dangerous game,” he said.
The proposed single marriage law, which is currently being
investigated by the SA Law Reform Commission, seeks to give
everyone equal rights, regardless of their religious and cultural
background. The new statute will replace the Marriage Act of 1961,
the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998 and the Civil
Union Act of 2006.
The commission is considering either a single act with a unified
set of requirements, or an “omnibus option” reflecting the current
diverse set of legal requirements and consequences of civil,
religious and customary marriages and civil unions.
It is also looking into consent and capacity to marry, minimum
age, the issuing of marriage licences and

marriage ceremonies. It
will also look into spousal support, antenuptial agreements,
cohabitation rights, dispute resolution in family matters and
bogus marriages.
Motsoaledi said one of the weaknesses of the current law was that
it allowed one person to register a marriage alone, as long they
had the required documents.
“In the new law we will require them to come together. Some of the
women end up getting married unknowingly because they had their
documents stolen. So we want both of them to appear together,” he
said.
The new law is expected to come into effect in 2021.
Marriage officers will also be trained to look out for red flags
in potential bogus marriages. In cases of foreigners marrying
across the border, countries of origin will also be consulted to
check the marital status of marriage applicants.
“So in the proposed law it’s going to be a little bit tough. We
are going to demand some information from the countries of origin
that you are actually not married. We will train marriage officers
to understand the implications of marrying across the borders.
People take marriages like a game ... that I will just marry and
annul. But that game will now become a very dangerous one to
play,” he said.
Motsoaledi said under the new marriage regime teenage marriages
will not be tolerated. Statistics from the department of social
development show that in 2016 there were 103 teenage divorces and
in 2017 there were about 73.
Currently parents are allowed to give their daughter`s hand in
marriage even if they are underage.
“There are about 14,600 ministers of religion and 1,400 home
affairs officers. All of them will be instructed about this. Even
if you go to them as a teen they will tell you that I’m sorry I
won’t allow you,” said Motsoaledi.
www.samigration.com V.3010

In exciting news for digital nomads, South Africa will launch a new digital nomad visa featuring two categories: a remote working visa and a critical skills visa. These visas aim to attract remote workers and skilled professionals globally as part of South Africa’s efforts to position itself as a global hub. Once put into action, this move will establish the country as only the fifth African nation offering this kind of visa to people who spend long periods working in different countries. V.5338
Click here for full article

The Home Affairs official was accused of selling passports at R3,000 to foreigners A 34-year-old former Department of Home Affairs employee will spend the weekend behind bars after being arrested on fraud and corruption charges. Malusi Mlondo appeared briefly in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody. V.5329
Click here for full article

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the arrest demonstrated the department`s zero-tolerance against corruption. • A Department of Home Affairs employee in Limpopo was sentenced to an effective eight years in jail for fraud and corruption. • NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malaba-Dzhangi said Amos Ngwenyama accepted R1 000 to fraudulently issue a birth certificate. • Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the sentencing demonstrated the department`s commitment to tackling corruption. V.5330
Click here for full article

A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022. A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022. V.5331
Click here for full article

With just a few weeks to go until the 2024 elections, the Department of Home Affairs has publicized the nation`s identification document (ID) process. The department acknowledges the critical role of voter identification in facilitating participation and ensuring electoral fairness. Delays and inefficiencies at Home Affairs have historically impeded the democratic right to vote, particularly affecting those in rural areas. V.5332
Click here for full article

SAUDI VISA FOR AFRICAN CITIZENS South Africa is not among the countries exempt from Saudi Arabia visa requirements, therefore a Saudi Arabia visa is required. South Africans need a current visa to travel to Saudi Arabia lawfully. South African citizens can obtain a Saudi electronic visa. Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East. The eVisa is an electronic visa that permits citizens from approximately 50 countries to travel to Saudi Arabia for tourism. V.5333
Click here for full article

I recently renewed my passport at Home Affairs in a bank branch and was very impressed with the service and quick turnaround time. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and major banks first launched the option to do Smart ID card and passport applications via select bank branches in 2016. It has slowly grown to around 30 locations, including branches from Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Nedbank, and Standard Bank. V.5334
Click here for full article

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has spent over R412.95 million in legal fees since the start of the 2018/19 financial year - with over R117.69 million of this spent between 1 April 2023 and 29 February 2024. This was revealed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, in a recent written response in parliament. DHA has seen an exponential increase in the amount that it spends on litigation, with the current amount for 2023/24 (note these figures are until the end of February, several months short of the full financial year) nearly 16 times that of the amount spent in 2018/19. V.5335
Click here for full article

Short on time? Here are the highlights: • Following recent announcements from British Columbia and Ontario, Nova Scotia becomes the latest Canadian province to declare how its quota of study permit applications for 2024 will be distributed across sectors and institutions • As in Ontario, private institutions and language schools stand to be the most negatively affected by the distribution arrangement, but some public universities will also see significant reductions in study permit applications • All Canadian provinces have now distributed their allocation of study permit applications for 2024, and all are now also issuing provincial attestation letters (PALs) V.5336
Click here for full article

We asked the major contestants of the 29 May elections about immigration. Illustration: Lisa Nelson Today’s questions and answers to the major political parties deal with immigration. We emailed our questions to the ANC, DA, EFF, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, PA, MK Party, and RISE Mzansi on 13 March and sent follow-up queries to those who did not respond. Some have still not responded. Answers are very lightly edited for grammar and typos. Does your party support continued extensions of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP)? V.5337
Click here for full article