The Department of Home Affairs is intensifying its fight against syndicates involved in the sale of the identities of South Africans to foreign nationals.
The unrelenting pushback against these schemes continues to yield positive results, following the arrest on Friday of yet another South African national, Nico Ibrahim, at the Home Affairs office in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg.
Ibrahim had been on the run since April this year following the arrest of the recruiter, Mohamed Ali; a corrupt former Home Affairs official, Nhlanhla Mathebula and four others who were involved in a photo swap scheme at the Home Affairs office in White River, Mpumalanga.
Both Ali and Mathebula were denied bail and are on trial at the Mbombela Magistrate Court.
Ibrahim appeared at the Kliptown Magistrate Court on Monday and remains in custody for seven days.
Also on Friday, two Bangladeshi nationals were arrested by law enforcement officials who included Home Affairs Counter Corruption and Home Affairs Immigration officials, and the Hawks while trying to use fraudulently acquired passports to leave the country via OR Tambo International Airport.
They were remanded in custody for seven days after appearing at the Kempton Park Magistrate Court on Monday.
One of the Bangladeshis, Morshed Alam, arrived in South Africa in 2016 and is wanted for fraud in eThekwini after he applied for a passport he did not qualify for at the Home Affairs office on Commercial Road.
The official who issued the passport,

Judy Zuma, was dismissed by the Department of Home Affairs in December 2021.
She is currently facing criminal charges including corruption, fraud, and breaching the Immigration Act and the Identification Act. The corruption charge stems from her arrest in a sting operation after she tried to bribe a Counter Corruption officer with R10 000.
The fraudulent passport of the second Bangladeshi, Fakrul Islam, was issued by Mathebula. Islam arrived in South Africa in 2013 and is currently a holder of a Temporary Residence Visa, which is due to expire in 2024.
“Our persistent efforts are paying off. Since we arrested the Pakistani kingpin and 29 other people, including Home Affairs officials in Krugersdorp on March 24, we have been unrelenting,” said Home Affairs Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
“We have been on the trail of those who are participating in these schemes, and we are dealing harshly with our corrupt officials who facilitate these shameful acts.
“These arrests on Friday demonstrate that these criminals have nowhere to run. The police and our Counter Corruption unit are hot on their trail. We are expecting more arrests.
“All documents that are found to have been issued in fraudulent schemes are immediately cancelled by the department, and thus rendering them useless to the person who holds them,” the Minister said.
www.samigration.com V.4455

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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