The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has spent over R412.95 million in legal fees since the start of the 2018/19 financial year - with over R117.69 million of this spent between 1 April 2023 and 29 February 2024.
This was revealed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, in a recent written response in parliament.
DHA has seen an exponential increase in the amount that it spends on litigation, with the current amount for 2023/24 (note these figures are until the end of February, several months short of the full financial year) nearly 16 times that of the amount spent in 2018/19.
Since 2018/19, DHA has spent:
• R148.57 million on private legal firms;
• R264.38 million on state legal services.
Looking at the breakdown of where the money is being spent, the department used to have a relatively equal distribution of the amount spent on state and private legal services back in 2018/19 - spending around R3.6 million on each.
DHA then exponentially increased the amount spent on state legal services in 2019/20 by around 18 times more than the previous year, with these eight-figure bills remaining ever since.
Spending on state legal services has been hefty yet sporadic, whereas expenditures on private legal services have consistently risen, experiencing proliferated costs from 2021/2022 onwards.
2023/24 has seen the department spend, for the first time in this period, considerably more on private legal services than on state �` over 21 times more than it did in 2018/2019.
iIncrease in litigation for the department
Home Affairs has seen a steady rise in not only the

amount of litigation that the department initiates, but in the amount of times it (or the minister himself) has been dragged to court.
Among the numerous recent costly court battles for the DHA include the widely publicised Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP) case and disputes over blocked IDs.
ZEP
Back in 2021, the Cabinet made a decision not to renew Zimbabwean permits that are set to expire in December of the same year. After much resistance, the DHA then gave an extension vof one year for Zimbabwean nationals to apply for alternative visas.
The Zimbabwe Immigration Federation subsequently filed a lawsuit against the department regarding the termination of these permits. They requested that the termination be declared unconstitutional and invalid.
In June of 2023, the court ultimately ruled against Motsoaledi, and granted an interdict.
The Minister has since approached the Constitutional Court, seeking a leave of appeal after it was rejected by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Blocked IDs
Back in 2023, the DHA sought to block nearly 1 million IDs over suspected fraud.
Various legal groups challenged this, arguing that no law allowed the department to block an ID number, bringing into question the legality of this action.
The Gauteng High Court aligned with this argument, saying that blocking IDs is an unjust and irregular administrative action that is inconsistent with the South African Constitution - ordering that the department pay the costs of the application. V.5335

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.

 V.6133
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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.

 V.6130
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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.

 V.6131
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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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