Johannesburg, The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) has launched an urgent application against Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and his department in the High Court to stop the “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants in the country.
The move follows the stance pronounced last month by Motsoaledi that officials would be conducting extensive law-enforcement operations to deport individuals living in the country without proper documentation.
In a message on the department’s official social media account early last month, Motsoaledi asserted his firm position on illegal immigrants as he tweeted: “We don’t make noise when we conduct law enforcement operations. We move in and deport people.
We’ll be going to many other communities and deporting those who are here illegally,” the message read.
The announcement comes less than three months after a full Bench of the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ruled on June 28 that the decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) was invalid, unlawful and unconstitutional.
The application heard in April was brought by the HSF and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, challenging Motsoaledi’s December 2021 decision not to renew the ZEP.
The decision not to renew the ZEP meant that permit holders who did not apply for an exemption or were not granted an exemption would have to return to Zimbabwe after calling South Africa home for more than a decade.
In the recent court application sought for September 18, the foundation, along with the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, are pleading for an “interim enforcement” order from the High Court to curb the latest attempts to deport illegal immigrants.
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spite of the organisations’ attempts to halt the mass deportation of illegal immigrants, their recent court challenge has been criticised by some members of the public, especially following the fire at a hijacked building in Joburg that saw 77 people die and the negative impact of illegal zama zama operations.
“Nicole Fritz cannot win every case, using the money allocated to her as an NPO. HomeAffairsSA now has solid proof regarding the negative effects of illegal immigration. They must use the #JHBFire and #zamazama humanitarian catastrophes as reliable points of comparison. Moreover, why does the state use our tax money to support the Helen Suzman Foundation? These NPOs ought to be permanently outlawed,” wrote user Lolo Taunyane.
“Has Ms Fritz or any office-bearer of the foundation offered to personally support or take in any illegal immigrants into their personal homes and estates? I’ll park here and wait,” added user Brett Ben Raphael.
Meanwhile, in what appears to be a human trafficking syndicate operating in Ekurhuleni, Motsoaledi, confirmed on Friday that the department had intercepted a home in Primrose where more than 100 undocumented immigrants were found.
These immigrants were subsequently arrested. It is reported that many of them were Ethiopians, while four were Malawians.
The minister said only four of these people had any form of documentation on them and the owner of the property was also detained at the Primrose police station.
The arrest was part of the department’s crackdown on illegal foreigners conducted with other spheres of government, including the SAPS. V.4963

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is cracking down on corruption within its ranks and finalised 31 disciplinary cases between July and September 2024, some of which resulted in criminal prosecution and dismissal.One such individual, Mogale Raseone is set to have his trial start on 6 November. He is facing charges of fraud after being dismissed from the DHA in 2023 for manipulating department systems to fraudulently administer immigration for foreign nationals V.5655
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South Africa may be its own worst enemy when dealing with foreign nationals, says an ActionSA parliamentarian.Lerato Ngobeni held a series of oversight visits last week, with a keen focus on the Department of Home Affairs.In showcasing the successes of their first 100 days in parliament, Ngobeni gave an update on her observations from the previous year. V.5654
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Cape Town comes out tops in Long Haul Holiday Report 2024Cape Town has reclaimed its position as the best-value long haul destination for British tourists, according to the 2024 Long Haul Holiday Report from Post Office.Every year, the Post Office Travel Money Long Haul Holiday Report highlights the top destinations where UK travellers can get the best value for their money.They researched 32 faraway destinations worldwide and compared the costs of common holiday items like a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, and a three-course meal for two to find out which destinations offer the best value for money. V.5652
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Eight of these cases came from the Free State, while six came from KwaZulu-Natal. Between July and September 2024, the Department of Home Affairs finalised 31 disciplinary cases against its officials.According to spokesperson Siya Qoza, the disciplinary cases resulted in a range of sanctions. These include criminal prosecution, dismissal, suspension without pay and final written warnings. The officials faced transgressions relating to irregular recruitment, violation of the Citizenship Act and the violation of the Immigration Act. Eight of these cases came from the Free State, while six came from KwaZulu-Natal. Home Affairs officials nabbedOne of the includes that of an official who failed to abide by the required standards of ethical conduct. His trial is set to start on 6 November, facing fraud charges. The official was dismissed from the department last year after the conclusion of disciplinary processes. V.5653
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The Citizen tried Home Affairs services on wheels and found it to be disorganised. Residents have been using the mobile services provided by the Home Affairs trucks. Temperatures were soaring, with no chairs in sight and a long line ahead. This was the experience of a reporter when they lined up to try Home Affairs mobile services. The outreach programme sends trucks to areas to help make the department’s services more accessible to residents who find it difficult to reach their offices. V.5648
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The BMA has confirmed the new switch-over system, installed to expedite data capture and to prevent future disruptions.The glitches that recently interrupted the flow of international flights at the King Shaka International Airport (KSIA) in KwaZulu-Natal have been sorted out, according to Mmemme Mogotsi, the deputy assistant commissioner for communications and marketing at the Border Management Authority (BMA). V.5649
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The Groblersbrug bridge across the Limpopo River is too narrow, many say, to handle the high volumes of traffic into Botswana. Source: SA Truckerorder transporters are waiting up to three days to pass through South Africas Groblersbrug border into Botswana because of a double whammy ` a new biometrics system implemented by the Border Management Authority (BMA), and ongoing barriers to entry at Beitbridge.Mike Fitzmaurice of the Transit Assistance Bureau explained that the BMA had implemented a new system whereby the biometrics of everyone, travellers and truck drivers alike, were recorded by immigration officials. Although it only takes about 15 minutes, the problem at Groblersbrug is there are only four immigration officers on duty during each shift.Compounding matters are existing impediments at Beitbridge forcing long-distance hauliers serving mines in the Copperbelt to drive around Zimbabwe.Unfortunately, Groblersbrug cant cope with the volume of traffic. V.5650
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The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has granted an unemployed woman permission to relocate to Australia with her children where she got a job. An unemployed woman has been granted permission to relocate to Australia with her two children, where she has secured a job, following her ex-husband`s refusal to allow them to leave the country. She sought relief from the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg after her ex-husband declined to sign the consent forms needed for her to apply for visas for herself and their children. V.5651
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Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber has gazetted far-reaching reforms for South Africa’s visa regime.The gazetting of the Remote Work Visitor Visa and the new Points-Based System for Work Visas on 9 October is said to remove bureaucratic hurdles which have hampered South Africa’s visa regime.Schreiber said that the “fit-for-purpose and market-friendly reforms would reposition South Africa as a world-class destination for investment and tourism to create thousands of new jobs. V.5642
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Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber has gazetted far-reaching reforms for South Africa’s visa regime.The gazetting of the Remote Work Visitor Visa and the new Points-Based System for Work Visas on 9 October is said to remove bureaucratic hurdles which have hampered South Africa’s visa regime.Schreiber said that the “fit-for-purpose and market-friendly reforms would reposition South Africa as a world-class destination for investment and tourism to create thousands of new jobs. V.5643
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