Rwanda`s most wanted genocide fugitive has been arrested in South Africa after three decades on the run. A collaborative operation by the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), the Fugitive Tracking Team and South African authorities resulted in the arrest of Fulgence Kayishema, 63, on Wednesday afternoon in Paarl, Western Cape. It had been known for years that Kayishema, who once worked as a bouncer, was hiding in South Africa. However, fractured relations between South Africa and Rwanda made it difficult to track and arrest him. IRMCT Chief Prosecutor, Serge Brammertz, said President Cyril Ramaphosa and government arms played a big role in the team`s effort to arrest Kayishema.

`The thorough investigation that led to this arrest was made possible through the support and cooperation of the Republic of South Africa and the Operational Task Team established by President Ramaphosa to assist our Fugitive Tracking Team.`

He added:

My office would like to recognise, in particular, the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations, Crime Intelligence Western Cape Province, SAPS Interpol, and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Their exceptional skills, rigour and cooperation were critical for this success.
In close collaboration with numerous national law enforcement and immigration organisations, the investigation that resulted in Kayishema`s detention included many nations.

Kayishema used a variety of aliases and fake documents to hide his name and location while evading the law.

He also relied on a network of reliable allies, including family, ex-members of the Rwandan Armed Forces and the Rwandan Democratic Forces of Liberation, and individuals who shared the murderous Hutu Power ideology.

Through an analysis-driven inquiry that used multi-source evidence and both conventional and cutting-edge methodologies, Kayishema was found and apprehended, the IRMCT said.

There was also the close involvement of Mozambique and Eswatini in tracking down the Rwandan fugitive.

`We also received vital support from similar task forces in other African countries, notably the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of Mozambique,` he added.

`Rwandan authorities under the leadership of Prosecutor General Aimable Havugiyaremye continued to be our strongest partners and provided essential assistance.`

Rwandan president Paul Kagame has pushed for all genocide enablers to be brought to book.

Kayishema was charged with genocide, complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal

Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 2001 for killings and other crimes committed in Kivumu Commune, Kibuye Prefecture, during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. According to the accusation, on 15 April 1994, at the Nyange Church in Kivumu commune, Kayishema and other co-defendants killed more than 2 000 refugees, including men, women, elderly people, and young children.

Kayishema allegedly took an active role in the preparation and execution of this atrocity, purchasing and distributing petrol to burn down the church that housed the refugees, among other things.

When it didn`t work, Kayishema and others used a bulldozer to destroy the church, killing and burying the refugees inside.

Strained relations with South Africa

Relations between South Africa and Rwanda hit a bad patch when reports surfaced that Kagame was allegedly hunting down his enemies in South Africa without involving local authorities.

The 2014 assassination of the former chief of intelligence for Rwanda, Patrick Karegeya who was in exile in South Africa, was the highest strain point between the two countries.

Karegeya was found dead in his hotel room on 1 January 2014.

Michela Wrong’s book, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad, claims Karegeya was killed by a Rwandan government hitman named `Apollo`.

However, in court papers filed by Karegeya`s family for an inquest into his death, there`s mention of four Rwandan suspects.

Even before Karegeya`s assassination, Rwandan fugitives had been meeting similar fates in South Africa.

One of them was Rwanda`s former army chief of staff, General Kayumba Nyamwasa who survived an attempt on his life in 2010.

SA agrees to help

Brammertz in 2019 briefed the United Nations Security Council that South Africa was not cooperating in the hunt for Kayishema.

`Since 2018, this investigation has been significantly impeded by challenges in obtaining cooperation from South Africa.`

But last year, having registered breakthroughs in tracking down some of the fugitives, particularly Protais Mpiranya who was tracked down to a grave in Harare, Zimbabwe, there have been more scores for the IRMCT.

Last May, IRMCT went to Pretoria and Cape Town after South Africa agreed to work with them through an operational interdepartmental investigative team in tracking Kayishema. V.4837

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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