Pretoria - James Biamungu - the Congolese refugee in search of human
security - woke up in a bed on Saturday morning. It was the first time
in months that he had not slept on a plank in the Pretoria Central
Prison detention cells or on the pavement outside the offices of the
UN building in Pretoria.


The Department of Home Affairs released him from detention at 9pm on
Friday into the care of his lawyer following an 11th hour agreement
that halted his deportation to Zimbabwe.


Biamungu and his wife, Annaline, were overcome with emotion as they
left the prison after a harrowing few days of threats to deport them.



The couple fled persecution in the Democratic Republic of Congo and
were given refugee status in 2005 by Zimbabwe, where they stayed in
the Tongogara refugee camp.


But beatings and persecution by Hutu refugees in the camp and by the
Zimbabwean police drove them to leave for South Africa.


Lawyer Nyaradzo Chiwa has saved the day for the Biamungus by
convincing the Department of Home Affairs of the grave danger the
family would face if they returned to Zimbabwe.


Having fled persecution in Zimbabwe herself, Chiwa was more than aware
of the revenge that could have been exacted on James Biamungu for
having exposed the beatings he and his wife received at the hands of
Zimbabwean police in the offices of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees in Harare, while under the auspices of a UNHCR protection
officer.


The Biamungu family, who are Tutsis, had fled after facing repeated
attempts on their lives by Hutu refugees, and sought protection at the
UNHCR offices in Harare. What they got was a vicious beating and $50
(R675) to return to the camp.


Officers at Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights told the family the
UNHCR protection officer who had overseen this episode was President
Robert Mugabe`s nephew.


After accommodating the family for a month, the lawyers`s

group
instructed them to go back to the UNHCR offices for assistance, but
the family were denied access to the building. The lawyers group then
advised them to go to South Africa and seek the protection of the
UNHCR regional office - which they did.


For the past six years the family have been sent from pillar to post
by the Department of Home Affairs and the UNHCR, each of which claimed
the other had the responsibility of protecting the family and sorting
out their situation.


The UNHCR said South Africa should grant the family refugee status.


The Refugee Appeal Board refused this, saying they had
refugee status in Zimbabwe. The department then turned the case over
to the UNHCR.


The UNHCR arranged shelter for the family for a year with the Jesuits,
but when funding ran out the family were on the streets.


The UNHCR did nothing to find other shelter for them, but held
resettlement hearings with the aim of possibly resettling the family
abroad.


The family signed documents saying they accepted the protection of the
UNHCR and had been told the agency would try to settle them in
Australia, the US or Canada. This did not transpire and the family
slept on the streets.


Then came detention for James Biamungu for four months earlier this
year at the Lindela Repatriation Centre and two periods of detention
in the Pretoria Central Prison.


His five children, ranging in age from 3 to 11 and none of whom had
been to school, had been taken away from him and placed in shelters.



The family are to be reunited this week, but their fate is uncertain
as they have no legal right to live in South Africa and the UNHCR has
not taken steps to arrange their resettlement. For now, church members
are providing shelter and food. V.1709

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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