Diplomacy between the two countries collapsed when Dr Grace Naledi
Mandisa Pandor was South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, a pivotal
docket in the ever collapsing relations between the two nations.
She is now back as new Foreign Affairs Minister at a time when
relations are once again thorny, moreover under the same unresolved
issues that would have been fixed long ago by her while under Home
Affairs.
It is always Rwanda’s hope that for every change of guard at the
Foreign Affairs Ministry in Pretoria, translates into positive change
in the relations between the two countries.
South Africa being the continent’s economic power house, remains an
important partner Rwanda would want to engage with, but the waters are
not stable enough for this to happen.
The latest appointment of Dr. Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor as South
Africa’s new Foreign Affairs Minister, under the new resized
government of President Cyril Ramaphosa, offers yet another complex
puzzle for Rwanda.
Between 2012-2014 Dr. Pandor was Home Affairs Minister when the
relations between Rwanda and South Africa were completely freezing
following assassination attempts on Kayumba Nyamwasa, a Rwandan dissident.
As usual, some Rwandan politicians expressed, in a sarcastic manner,
their feelings about the character of Dr. Pandor.
“Congratulations Minister Naledi Pandor! Let’s make our relations
great again!” said Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe shortly after President
Cyril Ramaphosa announced his new foreign affairs Minister.
Minister Nduhungirehe’s comment is cordial in text and diplomatic, but
the reservations are deeply engraved in it.
Dr. Pandor’s position on matters with Rwanda are known, and there is
no evidence of change.
Her selection for this docket therefore may not change much in the
thorny and bumpy relations between her country and Rwanda.
For example, she has reservations about Rwanda invoking the UN
Refugees cessation clause- this has since been another thorn in the
relations.
During her tenure as Home Affairs Minister, Pandor said that her
government would first conduct its own investigation into existing
conditions in Rwanda and consult extensively with the local Rwandan
community before making a decision on invoking the cessation clause.
Her office considered listening to Rwandan refugees’ concerns and
fears of being returned to Rwanda, and sharing with refugees the
government of South Africa’s position around the cessation clause,
which it said clearly required to first articulate the reasons for the
clause being invoked.
Towards the end of her tenure as Home Affairs Minister in 2014, it is
when much of the relations between the two countries collapsed based
on recommendations from her ministry, leading to the expulsion of
several Rwandan diplomats by Pretoria.
She has been given a principle post at a time South Africa has revived
trial inquest into the 2013 murder of Colonel Patrick Karegeya.
The inquest five years since it had stalled, is considered a plot to
disrupt efforts to repair relations between the two countries.
Rwanda is also concerned by the inability of Rwandans to get South
African visas in Kigali, Rwanda.
It is yet to be determined under the new management of Dr.

Pandor
whether this Visa issue will be addressed in a different manner.
“We don’t deny South Africans visas to travel to our country, but the
reverse to South Africa is not the same,” President Paul Kagame said
in previous engagements with journalists.
President Ramaphosa in March 2018 said that the problem of Rwandans
being denied visas to South Africa would soon become history after
holding talks with President Kagame. This is yet to be realized.
Despite reappointing diplomats, South Africa is yet to appoint a visa
official to Kigali, meaning that Rwandans still cannot get visas to
South Africa.
It is still early to assess how Dr. Pandor will navigate the current
concerns by Rwanda about South Africa hosting the Rwanda National
Congress (RNC) led by Kayumba Nyamwasa â€` a terrorist group that has an
objective of overthrowing government in Kigali.
This RNC and FDLR issue has been at the centre of failing relations
between Rwanda and Uganda â€` basically according to Rwanda, the current
problems are born in South Africa, exported to next door Uganda from
where they would extend their tentacles into Rwanda to destabilize
peace and security.
Dr. Pandor has a big assignment in leading the reconstruction of ties
between the two countries building on several demands that Rwanda has
in the last few months communicated to her government.
For example last year, during the the Extraordinary Summit of the
African Union in Kigali, President Kagame and his South African
counterpart President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered Foreign Affairs
Ministers to work on normalization of relations between the two countries.
Rwanda is concerned about South Africa accepting distortions
propagated by Rwandan detractors based in South Africa, and media
platforms associated with them.
Dr Pandor has previosuly served in the south African Government as
Minister of Education, Home Affairs and Now Foreign Affairs. She is a
senior member of the ruling ANC party
About Dr Pandor
Born in 1953 Dr Pandor is a strong mobiliser for the Ruling African
National Congress Party and mostly honoured as comrade like most
senior cadres of the party. She has served as cabinet minister since
2009 in different portfolios.
This new minister is a well-educated politician that acquired a Doctor
of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Education at the University of Pretoria
(Tuks).
She holds a Master’s degree in Education policy and practice in
multi-racial societies, and another in Linguistics from the applied
linguistics perspective.
“I am a teacher by early training and am fascinated by education,”
Pandor says, adding she chose education “because it is the discipline
I have always had an interest in understanding further.”
Pandor is married to Sharif Joseph Pandor and has four children.
She converted to Islam after she met her husband while studying in
Botswana, her in-laws gave her the Islamic name of Nadia. On her
religious conversion Pandor said: “My parents said God is God”. V.2843

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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