Acting director-general Thulani Mavuso admitted his department had a “contingent liability” of civil actions totalling R2.015 billion.

In a breakdown of the liabilities, the department’s immigration services accounted for R698.5 million, civic services claims amounted to R479.7 million, tenders and contracts to R829 million, while other sections faced R7.8 million.

Home affairs recently admitted in a court affidavit that it had no legal capacity and resources to enforce its immigration laws, including how to deal with the ongoing sit-in at the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices in Tshwane and Cape Town.

According to the Democratic Alliance (DA) member of the parliamentary home affairs portfolio committee, Adrian Roos, this was contained in the department’s affidavit submitted to the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday.

Regarding claims against the department, Mavuso told the portfolio committee that cases filed against home affairs were as high as 3,706 in 2018 and 3,333 so far this year. The department’s legal costs had reportedly increased considerably over the past few years, compared with previous years.

The main reasons for the increase were opportunistic litigations and delays in finalising applications for visas, permanent resident permits, appeals for rejected visa applications and judicial reviews of negative asylum decisions.

The department also faced litigation as a result of the detention of illegal foreigners at the Lindela holding facility in Krugersdorp.

Mavuso defined a contingent liability as a potential liability

depending on the outcome of an uncertain future event, such as a civil claim against the department.

In this context, the department has in this year alone had a contingent liability totalling R2.015 billion.

Mavuso stressed costs in these matters were always awarded against the department. In instances where costs were awarded in favour, recovery was always a challenge, as the state attorney was not prioritising the recovery. Applicants in most cases did not have funds (or attachable property) to pay costs as they were indigent foreigners and, in most instances, asylum seekers.

Roos lambasted home affairs for its incapacity to implement the country’s immigration laws. He said this had resulted in the UNHCR and relevant municipalities being expected to do the department’s job.

“The DHA cannot do this alone but have the responsibility to lead the process. The DA, therefore, calls on the DHA to immediately strengthen [its] capacity by implementing a far more efficient asylum-seeker system that works to ensure that refugees are able to live in South Africa legally and deal with corruption in the immigration system decisively,” Roos said.

He added the department must also ensure that asylum seekers were timeously documented and that refugees were differentiated from economic migrants. By doing this, the DHA would help prevent African foreign nationals from being targeted as a group by those who accuse them of being illegal immigrants, Roos said.

www.samigration.com V.3034

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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