Johannesburg - Court woes have continued to pile up for the Home Affairs senior official accused of aiding controversial pastor-turned-fugitive Shepherd Bushiri to irregularly obtain permanent residency.
The Labour Court in Johannesburg has dismissed Ronney Marhule’s application for leave to appeal its earlier judgment that went against him.
Judge Edwin Tlhotlhalemaje dismissed Marhule’s application in May that sought to bar his employer from using legal representation in the internal disciplinary proceedings against him.
Marhule, the suspended chief director of permits, maintained the department had no legal standing to use a lawyer in the disciplinary hearing.
His reasons included that the senior management service handbook did not allow for the use of lawyers in internal disciplinary hearings.
Home Affairs favoured fielding lawyers in the case, given the complexity and seriousness of issues to be traversed.
Judge Tlhotlhalemaje ruled in May that the court had no grounds to intervene in internal disciplinary proceedings and dictate how they should proceed.
Marhule approached Judge Tlhotlhalemaje again, on an urgent basis, to seek leave to appeal the May judgment. He intended to take the appeal to the Labour Appeal Court (LAC), which he believed would find differently.
After considering his argument, Judge Tlhotlhalemaje found Marhule had no prospects of convincing the LAC

otherwise.
“There are no legitimate disputes on the law raised, nor are there any novel issues that deserve the attention of the LAC. Accordingly, the leave to appeal enjoys no reasonable prospects of the LAC coming to any different conclusion to that arrived in my judgment,” he said.
He further slapped Marhule with legal costs, saying the urgent application for leave to appeal had no merit.
“This matter ought not have come this far,” said Judge Tlhotlhalemaje.
Home Affairs charged Marhule and three other officials for allegedly approving the permanent residency applications of Bushiri without following due process.
An internal Home Affairs investigation found that since March 2016, when Bushiri’s application for permanent residence was received, its approval had been done without proper compliance with the department’s standard operating procedures, and was in contravention of the Immigration Act.
The Bushiris’ applications were captured and granted by its officials, using the incorrect section of the act, as a result of Bushiri and his wife Mary’s commissions or omissions, according to the department’s evidence. Bushiri, a Malawi national, faced criminal charges that included flouting South Africa’s immigration laws.
www.samigration.com V.3673

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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