Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has suspended certain critical services, including applications for new IDs, passports and all marriage services.
Motsoaledi said between March and December 2020, 532 staff members tested positive for Covid-19.

In the first eight days of January 2021, about 116 employees tested positive and in the first 10 days of this year, the department lost seven.

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has temporarily suspended certain critical services, including applications for new IDs and passports.

Only matriculants may apply for an ID, while passport applications will only be accepted from those who are allowed to travel under the amended
regulations.

Motsoaledi said the suspension was forced by the increasing number of Department of Home Affairs employees who have tested positive for Covid-19.

`From 1 Jan 2021, our statistics are alarming. Out of the 412 offices, 266 offices had to close at some point since the lockdown began in March
2020 because [of] staff members testing positive. Some offices even closed more than once.

`This [has] led to a situation where out of the 5 734 employees, 4 502 were affected one way or the other. Either they were infected, or they
were contacts of those who were infected or came from families where somebody was infected.`

He added whenever a staff member tested positive, those who were in contact with him or her, including clients, have to be traced and the
office closed for

decontamination.

`Between March and December 2020, a total of 532 staff members tested positive, mostly from Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and
KwaZulu-Natal. In the first eight days of January 2021, we already had 116 staff members who tested positive and mostly from the same provinces.

`In the first 10 days of this year, we have already lost seven front office employees. All this is happening when the issuing of death
certificates is increasing exponentially.

`All indications are that at the end of January, we will have had even more death registrations than we had in December 2020,` said Motsoaledi.

Of those who visited home affairs offices daily, 29% are people who collect smart IDs, 16% apply for smart IDs, 11% for the issuing of
birth, marriage and death certificates and 10% are there to apply for temporary IDs.

`The department has decided to temporarily suspend certain services. This is unfortunate, but we are forced by circumstances. In choosing
which services to suspend temporarily, we were guided by some form of statistics.

`The department has suspended application for smart IDs except for matriculants, application for passports, except for those permitted to
travel, [and] marriage services will be suspended until further notice,` he added.

Motsoaledi pleaded with people to only collect IDs if they were specifically invited by an SMS. V.3403

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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