SA Migration International

News Articles

Home Affairs DG Mkuseli Apleni will resign

Source: Citizen, 23/07/2018

The director-general spent a decade at the department and found
himself unlawfully suspended last year amid Gupta drama.
News channel eNCA is reporting it is reliably informed that Home
Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni will be announcing his
resignation on Monday morning.
He spent a decade in the department and reportedly doesnâ€™t have
another public sector job lined up.
When then home affairs minister Hlengiwe Mkhize suspended Apleni last
year, he successfully challenged it in the High Court in Pretoria.
The court ruled Mkhize had had no authority to suspend the DG, ruling
it unconstitutional. The minister had relied on a flawed delegation
issued by then president Thabo Mbeki nearly a decade ago.
Apleni claimed she wanted him out of the way to reach questionable
deals in disputes involving the department.
His counsel argued that only the president has the authority to
suspend and discipline a director-general. Judge Hans Fabricius ruled
in his favour and he returned to work in October.
The Citizen reported last year that insiders believed Apleni was set
up to take the fall for the fast-tracking of citizenship for the Gupta
family in 2015.
Apleniâ€™s original decision on the naturalisation application was that
the Guptas did not meet the minimum time requirements for permanent
residence.
He claimed he was overruled by Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba,
who granted them citizenship after Apleni had rejected their first
application.
Earlier this month the department revealed it is currently
understaffed by about 8,000 people.

Search

Latest News

... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...

If you are visiting SA or already here on a visa, take this as a public-interest warning. In 2025, a quiet, but sharp, shift has taken hold inside parts of home affairs adjudication ranks: applications are being refused almost mechanically if they were not submitted at least 60 days before visa expiry.A wave of refusals repeating near-identical wording:The applicant did not submit his/her application no less than 60 days prior to the expiry date of his/her.

The rigid application of this rule, devoid of consideration for mitigating circumstances, raises serious concerns about the fairness and legality of such administrative decisions.

... Read more...

... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...