Right of reply: Society doesn`t give repeat offenders a free pass simply because they frequently break the law in any other sphere of life. Immigration is no different, writes Siya Qoza.
Your story that appeared in print and online on January 12 this year, titled, “Beitbridge anti-immigration efforts hit by bribery claims”, bears reference. As the Department of Home Affairs, we wish to make a few points, for the benefit of your readers.
Firstly, we will continue to arrest and deport illegal migrants who attempt to cross the border illegally, each and every time they try to do so. Society doesn`t give repeat offenders a free pass simply because they frequently break the law in any other sphere of life. Immigration is no different.
The processes we follow when we find undocumented people near the border law enforcement area are provided for in law. Therefore, we won’t tire of implementing the prescripts of the relevant laws.
Everyone who wants to come into South Africa must follow the applicable immigration laws. There is no parallel route to coming to South Africa because you are a repeat border jumper.
As it were, South Africa has deported more than 11 294 people between December 10, 2021, and January 10, 2022. More than 3 000 were deported through Beit Bridge.
Secondly, Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi went to Beit Bridge to monitor the implementation of the festive season operational plans, which were drafted earlier in the year. He visited Beit Bridge together with a Border Management Authority team, led by the national commissioner, Dr Mike Masiapato.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi conducts an operation at BeitBridge border. Photo Supplied
Home Affairs director general Tommy Makhode went to Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg for a similar reason. Other senior managers monitored the implementation of these plans at other border posts.
The minister did not go to Beit Bridge to set up a management team and deploy guards, as suggested in the article. He

approved the management teams and the deployment of guards before the operations started in December 2021.
Thirdly, that there are repeat offenders who get arrested and get deported is testament to the effectiveness of the multiple firewalls we put in place against border jumping.
These people who were deported we arrested either at a port of entry, along the border line, or at the roadblocks which are set up at multiple points along the routes linking South Africa to our neighbouring countries, particularly, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho.
These operations are ongoing and are reviewed periodically.
And lastly, various government agencies increased the staff complement deployed at the borders during the festive period to ensure a smooth and quick processing of legal cross-border movements of people and goods.
An overwhelming number of these officials do their work diligently every single day. In the case of the Department of Home Affairs, some of the people who are deployed are the Immigration Inspectorate officers who are tasked with enforcing the immigration laws along the border line and at the roadblocks.
Others are from the Counter Corruption Branch, whose work is to dissuade Home Affairs officials from committing illegal acts and to bring to book those suspected of wrong doing.
Working with other law enforcement agencies, the Counter Corruption Branch pivoted an operation that led to the arrest of six immigration officers, a policeman and a Mozambican national at the Lebombo border post between SA and Mozambique in November 2021.
If there are any Home Affairs officials taking bribes at any border post, they will face the consequences of their actions.
The fight against corruption is a daily pursuit at the Department of Home Affairs and it is championed by Minister Motsoaledi.
www.samigration.com V.3888

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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