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A sorry state of (home) affairs

Source: Business Day, 11/04/2023

Department dismisses slow progress on visa overhaul with obfuscation and bluster, putting the economy at further risk
Despite recent announcements that the department of home affairs has plans in place to correct its poor performance, fears remain that it is on the same slippery slope as many other SA government functions.
The general decline in the public sectorâ€™s ability to actually deliver public services is hitting citizens, investors, tourists, and the economy as a whole. Worse, a failure of key departments such as home affairs along with national utilities and other services signals to the world that SA is on track to become a failed state.
The country is already performing worse year on year in the international Fund for Peace Fragile State Index, and and could become a failed state in just a few years, economist and University of Johannesburg professor Daniel Meyer warned recently.
After widespread criticism the department recently announced plans to deploy more staff and focus on training, with a reprieve for foreign visa applicants whose renewals and applications had not been processed yet. However, the department has spent so much time developing plans that the immense backlog that developed during the pandemic has now grown to more than 75,000.

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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.

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