Articles

Court rules in favour of traditional wife and nullifies civil marriage

Hilda Sedinjane turned to the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for an order that she be recognised as the true wife of deceased Seabela Malatji. The parties concluded a customary marriage in 1988 as evidenced by a lobola certificate and four children were born of the marriage. V.5574

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‘Outdated systems expose Home Affairs’

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber on Tuesday said his department should urgently embrace technology, or South Africa’s national security would be under threat. Schreiber said the problems in the issuance of fraudulent visas pointed the department towards a solution that lay in embracing digital transformation in all its facets and across the department. V.5571

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Home Affairs committee wants inspectorate unit strengthened to track foreign nationals

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs pointed out that while the deportation of 95 Libyan nationals has been effected, the need to strengthen the inspectorate unit of the department is necessary and called for an enhanced monitoring tool to track foreign nationals in the country. Earlier this week, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) concluded its preparations to deport the 95 Libyan nationals, after they were arrested in White River, Mpumalanga, last month. V.5572

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Two more people caught over IDs-for-sale scam

Duo`s arrests follow that of home affairs office cleaner Office cleaner Rhandzu Chauke with family and lawyer outside the Pretoria magistrate’s court, this after appearing on the charge of theft of home affairs stamp. The arrest of two undocumented Mozambican nationals in connection with the selling of fake IDs has lifted a lid on an alleged documents-for-cash scheme believed to be happening at the home affairs office in Centurion. V.5562

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How to apply for Greece tourist visa: A step-by-step guide

Synopsis Travelers planning to visit Greece need a Schengen visa. The process includes scheduling an appointment, filling out an application form, submitting required documents, attending an interview, and waiting for processing. Greece is a gorgeous European nation noted for its iconic island destinations such as Santorini and Mykonos, among others. Those planning a trip to Greece, applying for a tourist visa is a must. Because Greece is a European nation, you’ll need to apply for a Schenegen visa. However it’s an easy process if you are aware of all the necessary steps carefully. V.5564

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Austria Job Seeker VISA With Family VISA Application Process

Ever dreamt of swapping your daily grind for a life filled with stunning mountain views, world-class music, and enough pastries to make your heart sing? Well, Austria is ready to roll out the red carpet for you! One of the key pathways to entering Austria as a skilled worker is through the Austrian Job Seeker Visa (Category D). V.5566

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Deadly Marabastad stampede sheds light on struggles of undocumented migrants in SA

Police are investigating a stampede that took place at the Home Affairs offices in Marabastad in Pretoria in which one person died and 20 more were injured. The story of Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina and how she became a contestant in the Miss South Africa pageant has cast notions of nationality and access to documentation for foreign nationals living in South Africa into the spotlight. V.5568

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New Zealand: Emigration soars amid economic woes

New Zealand`s population of 5.3 million grew by just 0.1% (7,000) in the second quarter of 2024 as the number of those leaving the country reached well over 100,000 in the first half of the year, official statistics showed on Monday. The practical stagnation in population growth comes despite record numbers of arrivals in recent years driven largely by the island nation`s reputation for high living and working standards and as a haven of security in an increasingly troubled world. V.5569

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New Zealand: Emigration soars amid economic woes

New Zealand`s population of 5.3 million grew by just 0.1% (7,000) in the second quarter of 2024 as the number of those leaving the country reached well over 100,000 in the first half of the year, official statistics showed on Monday. The practical stagnation in population growth comes despite record numbers of arrivals in recent years driven largely by the island nation`s reputation for high living and working standards and as a haven of security in an increasingly troubled world. V.5570

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Visa backlog: Portfolio committee welcomes overtime approval for Home Affairs officials

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has welcomed the approval of overtime for Home Affairs officials to reduce the visa backlog. This comes after Minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi and his department granted the overtime request from Homes Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber for the next three months to meet target and reduce the backlog. V.5560

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While Schreiber wants to bring dignity to Home Affairs, xenophobia rears its head in budget debate

• Several parties represented in Parliament blamed undocumented migrants for crime and draining social services during the debate on the Department of Home Affairs` budget. • Claims undocumented migrants are disproportionately responsible for crime or are depleting South African taxes without contributing, have previously been debunked. • New Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said he wanted to bring dignity back to the department`s work. V.5555

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Judge slams law firm for misleading court with `cut-and-paste` applications targeting refugees

• Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has slammed a firm of attorneys and an advocate for `cut-and-paste` work in cases involving refugees. • He ordered them to pay out of their own pockets for costs awarded in these cases. • Manamela MA Attorneys was running a `cottage industry`, preying on vulnerable refugees, Mlambo said. A firm of attorneys and an advocate have been ordered to pay the costs, from their own pockets, of six `cut-and-paste` applications involving refugees seeking asylum, GroundUp reports. V.5556

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How to get your new Smart ID at a bank

South Africans looking to upgrade their green ID booklet to a smart ID card can book an appointment to do so using the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHomeAffairs platform. Moreover, the system allows applicants to book appointments at DHA-supported bank branches across the country, meaning they never have to step foot in a Home Affairs office or face the associated queues. V.5557

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How stolen home affairs stamp led to cleaner`s bust

A year and four months after a stamp used to authenticate documents was stolen at a home affairs office, a 24-year-old man presented a birth certificate bearing the same stamp to apply for an ID. The certificate, however, was found to be fake and was produced four months after the stamp was stolen. V.5559

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Spaza shop owners cry foul regarding Gauteng government funding

Local entrepreneurs and spaza shop owners have lashed out at the Gauteng Department of Economic Development for failing to deliver on their promises which were part of the R100 million “Kasi Mnotho Fund”. The fund was aimed at offering strategic loans and empowering businesses to secure trading stock, equipment, machinery and working capital. This initiative was promised to business owners in an attempt to foster entrepreneurship and propel economic growth in Gauteng’s townships. V.5552

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Identity fraud rockets in SA

Identity fraud is on the increase in South Africa, with the latest fraud statistics recording a 400% surge in impersonation fraud from April 2023 to April 2024. Fraud statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) have also revealed that impersonation fraud increased by a staggering 356% from April 2022 to April 2023. V.5553

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Father unable to register his son because he is not the mother

For the past eight years, Mqokeleli Sigwintshi has been trying to get a birth certificate from the Department of Home Affairs for his son, who is now nine years old. Sigwintshi said in 2015, his wife, with whom he had a traditional marriage, gave birth to their son at the Willowvale Health Centre. A year later, his wife visited her family in Mthatha. V.5550

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People leave New Zealand in record numbers as economy bites

People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high and economic growth is anaemic, government statistics show. Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday showed that 131 200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia. While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists also expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy. The data showed of those departing 80 174 were citizens, which was almost double the numbers seen leaving prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. V.5548

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De Lille calls for concerted efforts for tourism to grow SA economy

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has called for concerted efforts to ensure that the potential of the tourism sector to grow the economy is realised. The sector is one of the apex contributors to the economy. The country is seeking to attract 15 million tourists to South Africa by 2030 as the National Development Plan envisages. V.5549

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Driven by a desire for a luxurious lifestyle

A Congolese national was sentenced to 12 years for corruption and other crimes. CRIMINAL SYNDICATES Congolese national Tiny Mtumba (36) was sentenced to 12 years and 3 months imprisonment for fraud, theft, and contravention of the Immigration Act by the Palm Ridge Commercial Court in the East Rand in Gauteng on Thursday. V.5547

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Government concerned by immigration lawyer `hitlist`

The government says social media platforms `clearly need to do far more` after it emerged a list purporting to contain the names and addresses of immigration lawyers was being spread online. Initially shared on the Telegram messaging app - along with the phrase “no more immigration” - it has now begun appearing on other platforms. Lawyers have told the BBC they have been advised by police to work from home, board up office windows and install fireproof letterboxes. V.5538

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Measures in place to avoid abuse of immigration policies, says Home Affairs Minister

Schreiber was responding to written questions by members of Parliament (MPs) about the temporary visa concession for foreigners, as well as the impact of wealthy foreigners on the rental housing market. CAPE TOWN - Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says there are measures in place to prevent the abuse of immigration policies for foreigners. Schreiber also revealed the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was probing thousands of visas issued due to the alleged corrupt activities contained in the Lubisi Report, which exposed serious fraud in the department. V.5539

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PSA condemns mistreatment of employees during investigations at Department of Home Affairs

MEDIA STATEMENT - The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za. The Public Servants Association (PSA) has received alarming reports of mistreatment of the Union’s members employed at the Department of Home Affairs during recent raids conducted by the Special Investigating Unit, the Hawks, and the former Minister of Home Affairs. V.5540

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If you engage in corruption, we will pursue you until you are locked up’ - Home affairs minister cracks the whip

The Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber warned those who engage in corruption that they would be pursued. He was speaking following the sentencing of home affairs official Judy Zuma who was jailed to 12 years for passport fraud. Zuma was sentenced this week in the Durban Commercial Crime Court after pleading guilty to a string of counts including corruption, fraud, and breaching the Immigration Act and the Identification Act. V.5541

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Mossel Bay emerges as South Africa’s new semigration hotspot

Western Cape coastal towns, particularly along the Garden Route, are experiencing a dire shortage of affordable housing as semigration-driven demand continues to drive up prices, estate agents say. V.5543

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Asylum seekers fear arrest but can’t access documents

Lawyers for Human Rights takes this issue to the High Court next month. Lawyers for Human Rights, representing the Scalabrini Centre, is heading to the court next month to apply for an urgent interdict to prevent the arrests of new asylum seekers. Archive • Thousands of people coming into South Africa from war-torn countries or countries rife with political unrest, say they live in constant fear of being arrested. • This is despite their numerous attempts, some since 2020, to apply for asylum at the Department of Home Affairs, but to no avail. • According to leaders of immigrant communities in Diepsloot, they are aware of at least 15 people currently held at the Lindela Repatriation Centre due to their inability to apply for asylum documents. V.5537

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Congolese police officers flee to Uganda as fighting intensifies

KAMPALA, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Nearly 100 police officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled to neighbouring Uganda over the weekend as fighting between M23 rebels and the military in Congo`s east intensified, a Ugandan military spokesperson said on Monday. The officers arrived via the Ishasha border crossing in Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda, Major Kiconco Tabaro, a regional spokesperson for the Uganda People`s Defence Forces, said. V.5536

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SA Citizenship Act a matter of identity, inclusion and unity

Chidimma Adetshina’s success should be a reason to celebrate SA’s diverse heritage The SA Citizenship Act of 1995 outlines the criteria for citizenship, V.5532

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Global students flock to SA universities for a rich cultural and academic experience

Stellenbosch University is one of the universities in the country favoured by international students. (Stellenbosch University/Facebook) • A total of 20 942 students from Africa and abroad are studying at 15 of South Africa`s 26 universities. • The University of Johannesburg has 4 148 international students, including 1 614 from Zimbabwe. • Deputy Minister of Higher Education Dr Mimmy Gondwe said international students enjoy studying in SA because it`s home to some of the top-ranked universities in the world. V.5533

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Anger at huge jump in Zimbabwean passport price

More than 1 100 people have signed a petition calling on the government of Zimbabwe to review a decision to hike the cost of a passport by nearly 50%. On 26 July, the Zimbabwean consulate in Johannesburg announced that the price of a passport would rise from $170 (about R3 100) to $250 (about R4 540). “The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage has directed that all e-Passports applications that are processed at the Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, shall be handled as express/emergency applications in terms of Statutory Instrument 1 of 2024,” the consulate said. V.5534

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