Articles
'Stateless' man struggles for citizenship
However, he has no birth certificate to prove it and thus cannot get a South African ID because it is said he is not a South African citizen. Ngubane is therefore stateless and belongs to no country. Home Affairs refuses to issue him with a South African ID because he is unable to provide documented evidence that he was born here. The department also said it was not justified to grant him permanent residence in the country under the circumstances. V.4124
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15. Dec. 2017 GroundupCape Town refugee centre must be opened by end of March
Cape Town - On Thursday the Constitutional Court rejected an application by the Department of Home Affairs for leave to appeal, in a matter relating to the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office. The Department was appealing a decision by Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA). The SCA ruled in September that Home Affairs must 'reopen and maintain a fully functional refugee reception V.4122
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11. Dec. 2017 Times LiveFamily caught up in home affairs nightmare
When Florette and Nsongoni Mulowayi renounced their Democratic Republic of Congo citizenship, it was with the promise of a new life in a country they 'want to serve'. Their eldest son had already been granted citizenship, having been born in South Africa in 2011, and they thought awarding the same status to them and their baby would be a formality. V.4120
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10. Dec. 2017 Tourism UpdateSA September arrivals increase Brazil, France continue to perform
A year-on-year comparison between 2016 and 2017 for Q3 shows that the number of overseas tourists increased by 5%. September arrivals increased by 2,1% year-to-date, from 1 273 734 in September 2016 to 1 300 502 in September 2017. A month-to-month comparison indicates a small drop of 0,1%, from August 2017’s figure of 1 302 312. V.4119
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03. Dec. 2017 City Press#LoveSA: Why you don't need to spend those precious rands overseas
Kate Turkington does country style in luxury in Dullstroom; battles a gale in Wakkerstroom, one of the world’s best birding spots; and catches a tiger fish on Jozini Dam - in one week. Mpumalanga may be one of our smallest provinces, but it’s packed with beauty and things to do. And you don’t need lots of time, foreign exchange or finicky visas to travel to some of its amazingly diverse destinations. V.4116
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30. Nov. 2017 Tourism UpdateSA September arrivals increase Brazil, France continue to perform
A year-on-year comparison between 2016 and 2017 for Q3 shows that the number of overseas tourists increased by 5%. September arrivals increased by 2,1% year-to-date, from 1 273 734 in September 2016 to 1 300 502 in September 2017. A month-to-month comparison indicates a small drop of 0,1%, from August 2017’s figure of 1 302 312 V.4117
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21. Nov. 2017 News 24Tweets over ID book validity false - Home Affairs
Johannesburg The Department of Home Affairs has dismissed as false, tweets claiming that the green, barcoded, South African identity book was reaching the end of its lifespan. 'No such announcement has been made by the department. We wish to make it clear that the green barcoded ID book remains a legal form of identification and will continue to be until such time that the live capture system is rolled out to all home affairs offices to enable South Africans to apply for the smart ID cards at their nearest offices,' department spokesperson David Hlabane said. V.4112
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20. Nov. 2017 Tourism UpdateRwanda: Visas on arrival for all
Rwanda is among the countries that have taken a leading role in implementing the AU's recommendations. From January 1, 2018, all travellers to Rwanda, regardless of nationality, will get a 30-day visa on arrival without prior application. Rwandans with dual nationality are now allowed to use National IDs on entry. V.4109
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18. Nov. 2017 Times LiveZuma launches 'one stop shop' to facilitate foreign investment
President Jacob Zuma on Saturday opened a one stop shop in Durban as part of attempts to simplify doing business in SA. President Jacob Zuma realised one of his presidential prerogatives on Saturday when he launched a one stop shop to encourage more foreign and local investment in KwaZulu-Natal. V.4103
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18. Nov. 2017 MercopressUK and France Home ministers emphasize security and law enforcement cooperation
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd and the Minister of the Interior of France, Gerard Collomb, met in London on Friday and discussed a range of home affairs matters including joint efforts to fight terrorism, illegal migration, border security and efforts to tackle serious and organized crime. V.4105
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16. Nov. 2017 Cape ArgusNew refugee documents welcomed
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Fatima Chohan says machine-readable travel documents are more secure. Picture: Brenton Geach Cape Town - The government has introduced a new way to better manage its refugee and asylum seekers with an improved refugee travel document. The new machine-readable travel document for refugees has been designed and developed using the latest passport production technology and security standards. V.4106
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15. Nov. 2017 The South AfricanSouth Africans and the UK Visitor Visa
With the very large South African community living in the UK, it is no surprise that we receive many queries on the UK Visitor Visa. Grandparents, parents, friends, and family all want to visit those fortunate enough to live in the UK. There is also a large number of persons wanting to visit the UK to explore business and job opportunities, before making a final decision about moving to the UK. Do South Africans need a UK Visitor Visa to travel to the UK? South African nationals are regarded as visa nationals by the UK Government. All South African citizens thus need to apply for UK Visitor Visas, before traveling to the UK. V.4097
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15. Nov. 2017 Times Live8 things you need to know about the Zimbabwean exemption permit
Zimbabweans whose seven-year special dispensation visas will run out in December‚ have been given a reprieve. Many had feared they would have to return to Zimbabwe‚ leaving their jobs and homes behind. However, the South Africa government announced that Zimbabweans on special dispensation visas‚ which were issued in 2010 and expire in December‚ can apply for new visas called Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP). V.4100
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15. Nov. 2017 EWNHome Affairs introduces new machine-readable travel documents for refugees
Home Affairs Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan says that the new documents are more secure and should facilitate safer travel for refugees. The Home Affairs Department has introduced a new machine-readable travel document for refugees. V.4107
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14. Nov. 2017 SA Good NewsSchool Exchanges SA Leading Destination?
This week I received a letter from Jackie Verall in the UK who runs school exchange programmes. "I was wondering if I could bore the pants off you with an editorial or a blog about how my little UK company is cutting a swathe through Europe offering high school experiences in South Africa. No, it’s not a plug for my business but just to say how South Africa is booming in Europe and kids are coming a plenty to study and experience the great South African way." V.4096
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Hawks called on to probe Home Affairs social media scam
Home Affairs Minister Ayanda Dlodlo has warned of a criminal syndicate operating on social media networks. This comes after a fake account bearing the name of the minister was created a week ago, as a platform to solicit money through a purported contract deal to the amount of R25 million. "The minister is not involved in any deal of the nature described in this fake correspondence. In addition, the department will also never ask people to pay money through social media for any of its services and anyone who comes across such requests should report these to the authorities," Dlodlo said. V.4125
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15. Dec. 2017 Defence WebBorder Management Authority to become operational next year
According to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Cabinet is expected to approve the long-awaited establishment of the Border Management Authority (BMA) early next year. SAnews, reporting on this week’s DHA briefing for festive season plans at South Africa’s authorised ports of entry, names the new entity as the Border Management Agency. This was the name given when it was first mooted but was subsequently changed to "authority" so as to give it more standing. V.4123
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11. Dec. 2017 Business LiveDlodlo to appeal over Oppenheimers’ private international terminal
Home Affairs Minister Ayanda Dlodlo will approach the Supreme Court of Appeal to challenge the Oppenheimer family’s court victory in October to run a private international terminal at OR Tambo International Airport. On Friday the department lost the second round in a battle that has pitched the Oppenheimers against the Guptas when the High Court in Pretoria dismissed its application for leave to appeal against the October judgment. V.4121
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03. Dec. 2017 City PressCape tourism bucks up for grabs
Capetonians, bless them, have been a little smelly recently. The water-deprived residents have been walking about with unwashed hair as they’re restricted to two-minute showers and that’s on a good day and their town doesn’t smell so good either, City Press noted on a trip last week. Despite the water crisis that has seen residents of the country’s oldest city limited to using 81 litres a day each, the Western Cape provincial government is going into overdrive to save its tourism industry, which is also suffering in the drought. V.4115
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03. Dec. 2017 Politics Web344 547 foreign nationals overstay visitor visas in 2016
Zimbabweans are main culprits, followed by Mozambicans and Malawians Minister Dlodlo must immediately resolve dire inefficiencies at Home Affairs In a reply to a DA Parliamentary question, Home Affairs Minister, Ayanda Dlodlo, revealed that at least 344 547 foreign nationals failed to leave South Africa before or on the date their visas were set to expire. V.4118
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23. Nov. 2017 Tourism UpdateCyber piracy strikes at tourism
Cyber piracy in the tourism industry is fast becoming a major problem, with websites mimicking those of legitimate reserves and lodges. A concerned reader recently alerted Tourism Update to the growing prevalence of cyber piracy within the tourism sector, with companies creating websites that mimic those of reserves and lodges in order to mislead travellers into booking with them instead. V.4113
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20. Nov. 2017 Tourism UpdateSA Chinese arrivals outlook
2016 was a bumper year for Chinese arrivals for various reasons, not the least of which was the very low selling price of some of the bottom-end packages offered. While Chinese arrivals in South Africa saw a dip in the first few months of this year, the industry reports that the market has now stabilised and is forecast for growth. V.4108
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20. Nov. 2017 Tourism UpdateFlySafair Durban-Eastern Cape routes to boost tourism
'Any new route coming into an airport stimulates travel, trade and tourism,' says Terence Delomoney, GM of King Shaka International Airport. FlySafair recently launched a Durban-Port Elizabeth route, and a Durban-East London service will launch on November 27. Bookings are open for both routes. V.4111
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18. Nov. 2017 Perth NowEvil 8 member David Volmer to be kicked out of Australia after prison release
FORMER Christian pastor and Evil 8 paedophile ring member David Volmer will be turfed out of the country as soon as he is released from jail in WA. Volmer is one of dozens of WA child sex predators who have had their visas cancelled under the Turnbull Government’s hardline stance on deporting criminals on character grounds. V.4104
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16. Nov. 2017 Times LiveMashaba urges Dlodlo to act on migrant influx
Dlodlo and her department have just over a week to detail their plan to deal with illegal immigrants in Joburg or face court action The City of Johannesburg said on Thursday that the Department of Home Affairs’s inaction on illegal immigration had led to "overwhelming prejudice and hardship" for the city. V.4102
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16. Nov. 2017 Tourism UpdateJust launched: ‘Huge’ initiative to boost Chinese arrivals to SA
"The brand awareness this initiative is creating is massive I don’t think South Africa has done anything this big in China before." To cement trade ties, boost investment flows and encourage tourism between South Africa and China, Standard Bank and the Industrial Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) have launched the I Go South Africa loyalty programme in partnership with South African Tourism. V.4110
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15. Nov. 2017 EWNHome Affairs monitoring borders in wake of Zim political tension
CAPE TOWN - The Home Affairs Department says it's on high alert on the country's northern borders in the wake of political instability in Zimbabwe. Speaking at Parliament on Wednesday, Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan says the government is not anticipating a huge amount of movement of people at this time. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Southern Africa says it's in constant contact with counterparts in Zimbabwe, who report that the situation is calm. V.4098
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15. Nov. 2017 Sowetan LiveOrdinary Zimbabweans tell us why they want to emigrate
Emigration from Zimbabwe is soaring as ordinary residents despair at the imploding economy and political instability‚ even before the current political turmoil. A month ago‚ the publication's Harare correspondent Nhlalo Ndaba filed this report‚ which we republish today to bring perspective to the unfolding situation: Ahead of Zimbabwe’s general elections‚ scheduled to be held around August 2018‚ the economy is imploding and some professionals as well as ordinary Zimbabweans have lost faith in a political solution and are now looking for greener pastures. V.4101
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14. Nov. 2017 Swazi ObserverPS MASILELA, CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICER MUST BE REMOVED FROM HOME AFFAIRS
Home Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Anthony Masilela and Acting Chief Immigration Officer Makhosi Simelane should be transferred from the ministry of home affairs. This was said in the House of Assembly when Zombodze Emuva MP Titus Thwala moved that the House adopt the report of the select committee investigating the influx of illegal immigrants, particularly of Asian origin. V.4095
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07. Nov. 2017 SA Gov NewsInflow of migrants pushes population to 53 million Stats SA
Cape Town South Africa’s population is estimated to have grown to just under 53 million by the middle of this year, with an inflow of migrants behind much of the 1.2 million population increase since the 2011 Census, Statistician General Pali Lehohla said today. V.4089
