A father of three who lives in Texas in the United States said to have subjected his children to a nomadic life and who is so controlling that he even watches his children’s weight lost his legal bid in a South African court to have his children returned to him.
The father launched proceedings in the Johannesburg High Court in terms of The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction Act, to have his children returned.
The purpose of the Convention is to protect children from the harmful effects of their wrongful removal from the country of their habitual residence to another country, or their wrongful retention in another country.
The Convention does so by establishing a procedure to secure the prompt return of any such child to the country of their habitual residence so that custody and similar issues in respect of them can be adjudicated upon by the courts of that country. The Convention is primarily aimed at deterring self-help, and provides for the return of children in such circumstances.
But Judge Fiona Dippenaar ruled that the evidence before the court proved that the children �` aged7, 9 and 11 �` will be placed in an intolerable situation if they are returned to the US.
The mother, a South African citizen, obtained permission from her husband to visit her parents here in July last year. While in South Africa, she instituted divorce proceedings against her “abusive” husband and decided not to return to the US. She has since stayed in Gauteng with the children on the same premises as her parents.
After the couple got married they mostly lived in Texas, and all three children were born in the US. The father, a US citizen, was born in Mexico. During 2018 the husband lost his job, the family condominium in Austin was sold, and the family moved to Chihuahua, Mexico, in July 2019. When he lost his job, they moved between Mexico and the US.
While the father painted a picture of a stable home for the children in the US, which he said was far more promising than life in South Africa, the mother painted a picture of a family without roots and who had

lived a nomadic existence when the father lost his job.
The mother, an occupational therapist, did not work as her husband had forbidden her to do so. He also refused that the children attend school; they were homeschooled.
The mother and children had to accompany the father wherever he obtained work and had to illegally cross the Mexican border each time as neither the mother nor children had valid passports or visas to live in Mexico.
The mother said the father was a manipulative, domineering and controlling person who abused her �` both physically and emotionally, and excessively controlled and dominated the children. She also referred to the “military style exercises” he forced the children to do, his obsessions with hoarding, religion and his male dominance in the family.
She and the children lived in fear of him, she said, as he insisted on controlling their lives and making choices about the children’s hairstyles and clothing, and was obsessive about none of them gaining weight.
Coupled with their nomadic lifestyle, she said the children are better off in South Africa with her. The children also voiced their desire to rather live in South Africa, where they are free to socialise and to go to school.
The judge said the father lacked appreciation for the impact life in the US had on the children and the risks of forcing them to travel wherever he finds work, even if it meant crossing borders “in a clandestine manner”.
He presented a glowing picture of life in Texas filled with opportunities while contrasting it to life in South Africa which “provides a far less certain future”. But the judge said his picture was painted in broad and abstract terms, and disregards the realities of the family’s life experiences and “the erosion of constitutional rights taking place in the US, and specifically Texas; rights protected under the South African Constitution.”
www.samigration.com V.4646

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article

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
Click here for full article