Traffic at the border reportedly stretches for more than 15km. Truck drivers say they are being left to fend for themselves at the Beitbridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe at night while waiting to be screened.
Truck driver and Gauteng secretary of the All Truck Drivers Foundation Mandla Mngomezulu said drivers were being robbed of their cellphones and clothes while waiting to be screened because the police were only visible during the day.
`In the last week, I have heard of about 10 incidents. Most drivers do not report them to the police because they say it`s a waste of time and how are you going to attend to the case when you are on the road most of the time?` added Mngomezulu.
Last week, he spent five days at the border and said the biggest cause for the delay was the Covid-19 screening process. `There is no water here and we have to go to the bathroom in the bushes.`
*Corruption*
The executive director of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations, Mike Fitzmaurice, described the grim conditions in an open letter to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
South African regulations did not take into consideration antigen tests done in Zimbabwe, said Fitzmaurice. Truck drivers are required to undergo a test upon entry to South Africa, but these are only conducted between 09:00 and 17:00. Fitzmaurice also noted the facilities and staffing levels were hopelessly inadequate to cope with the traffic volumes.
`In every residential street, there are trucks parked all over the place,` he told Business Insider about the backlog on the Bulawayo road.

`The whole town has been invaded by trucks [but] that`s through no fault of the truckers because they have nowhere else to go.`
In a statement on Wednesday, the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, advocate Bongani Bongo, called for intervention on the backlog at the border and stated it was necessary to find a balance between easy flowing traffic and measure in place to help contain the spread of Covid-19.
`While we understand the need for stringent health checks necessitated by Covid-19, we are also cognisant of the strategic importance of the Beitbridge crossing to trade in Africa. It is in this context that strategies should have been put in place to mitigate such an occurrence, especially in relation to reducing operating hours,` Bongo said.Fitzmaurice also told BI there was corruption at the border, with some truckers paying officials to bypass the Covid-19 test.
The alleged corruption is something Mngomezulu echoed. `There is also corruption where drivers pay about R500 for their trucks to be moved to the front of the line and we are told it is because they are carrying special goods which is not the case,` he said.
Limpopo police spokesperson Captain Mamphaswa Seabi encouraged truck drivers to report instances of robbery, saying they had not received any reports.
Seabi said thus far there had not been any major incidents at the border, adding it was calm, despite queuing traffic reportedly stretching for more than 15km.
www.samigration.com V.3372

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.

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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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