Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber plans to boost inspections by 50%, deporting those employed illegally.Home affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says in the coming year, his department will intensify inspections at restaurants, spaza shops, farms and mines by over 50% and take action - including deportations - against people illegally employed.

The initiative was started under his predecessor, Aaron Motsoaledi, who earlier this year called for harsher sanctions against business owners who knowingly employ undocumented foreigners.

Schreiber said the department was working on the provision of smart ID cards to naturalised citizens. He said 280 cards had already been issued and 697 were in progress.

“Once the system has been adjusted to verify compliant applications, all naturalised citizens will be able to visit any home affairs office equipped with live-capture facilities to apply for their smart ID cards,” he said.

Schreiber also announced that home affairs would urgently reactivate the Immigration Advisory Board. It will provide him with “evidence-based advice” on tackling matters such as the process of consultation on the future of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit.

In his maiden budget vote speech in parliament, he said home affairs would focus on:

• Addressing visa backlogs and failure to process applications timeously;

• Safeguarding South Africa’s borders;

• Reducing queues by ensuring the online system worked effectively;

• Expanding home affairs footprint through introducing infrastructure and mobile trucks;

• Tackling corruption; and

• Strengthening international migration and refugee protection - in line with the provisions of the constitution.

To be effective in unlocking scarce skills, growing tourism and creating jobs, Schreiber said home affairs “must urgently clear the backlog in the processing of permits”.

The department, he said, had set up a dedicated team to

reduce backlogs. “Our dedicated team has already reduced the backlog by processing 92 886 applications out of a total of 306 042.”

He added: “This is especially urgent because the department is currently inundated with costly court cases it cannot afford.

“In many instances, these cases stem from a simple inability to process applications in a timely manner - forcing clients to seek judicial relief.” Securing SA porous borders was “another side of the coin” - while attracting investment and tourism.

“South Africa needs to do much more to combat illegal immigration,” said Schreiber. “It is central to our national security, but also out of our commitment to economic growth.

“The reality is that no-one will want to visit or invest if we allow our country to lose control over its borders and internal security.”
Branching out

On shortening queues at home affairs offices, he said the department was “expanding our footprint and taking services closer to the people”.

“I am pleased to report that the project to expand into shopping malls has seen the opening of conveniently located offices in Menlyn Mall in Pretoria, Cresta Mall in Johannesburg and Pavilion Mall in eThekwini.”

On corruption, he said: “Theft, fraud and other forms of maladministration, pose an existential threat to the vision for a dignified home affairs that powers economic growth.

“This includes devaluing our official documents.

“Although the announcement by Ireland last week that citizens of South Africa and Botswana now require visas to visit the country did not specifically mention this issue, I am still going to request a meeting with the Irish ambassador, to understand the extent to which concerns over corruption influenced this regrettable decision.” V.5510

Australia’s plan to cap the number of new international students to 270,000 starting in 2025 has sparked widespread concern within the education sector. However, the proposal, which still needs parliamentary approval, is unlikely to have a significant impact on students from African countries planning to study in Australia. The National Planning Level (NPL) for 2025, which includes the limit on the number of international student enrolments, aims to reduce overall migration to pre-pandemic levels. V.5595
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Bethuel Ngobeni, Dumisa Moyo, Nhlanhla Magwaca, Moseki Sechele, Thabo Sechele and Khudzai Mashaya appear in court to face illicit gold mining charges. Image: Thapelo Morebudi An investigation into illicit gold mining has uncovered how one of the accused obtained a fraudulent identity document, 12 years after arriving in SA. V.5594
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• Lesotho has rekindled moves to implement localisation rules for certain types of businesses dominated by foreigners. • Indians, Chinese and South Africans dominate the 47 reserved businesses. • SA firms will be under pressure to use local distributors, and not contract Basotho labour via SA-based agents. V.5587
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Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said that plans were underway for the Department of Home Affairs to switch from working manually to digitally. CAPE TOWN - Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said that long queues, off-line systems, and paper-based applications at department offices would soon be a thing of the past. Schreiber said that plans were underway for the Department of Home Affairs to switch from working manually to digitally. V.5588
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‘There are various pathways and provisions in the law that recognise that people should not be stateless, and we are failing to ensure that these people have papers,’ says Global Movement Against Statelessness’ Christy Chitengu. Christy Chitengu was born in South Africa and regards herself as a South African, despite her parents being Zimbabwean. V.5589
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Inspection at workplaces set to increase Newly appointed home affairs minister Leon Schreiber will increase inspections at restaurants, spaza shops, farms and mines to heighten the crackdown on undocumented workers in these industries. Schreiber said while SA welcomes those who contribute to the country legally through skills, investments and as tourists, it needed to do more to combat illegal immigration. V.5592
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CAPE TOWN - Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber says since March, his department already reported 109 cases of document fraud to its counter corruption unit. Three officials have been convicted and sentenced during this same period. V.5593
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Key Takeaways • As of August 28, Canada has banned temporary residents on visitor visas from applying for work permits within the country. • The policy`s early termination is part of IRCC`s efforts to manage the influx of temporary residents and combat immigration fraud. • Starting September 26, 2024, Canada will cut the number of temporary foreign workers by about 65,000. Canada has recently launched a new policy that prohibits temporary residents on visitor visas from applying for work permits within the country, a decision that significantly impacts their ability to work and stay in Canada. V.5583
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The United Kingdom has long been a favoured destination for South Africans seeking work or residency, thanks to shared language, time zones, and historical ties. However, according to JP Breytenbach from Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants, the profile of South African migrants is changing. “There is a significant increase in business migration, with companies aiming to expand into the UK as a gateway to Europe or the US,” he shared in an interview with Biznews. Many of these South Africans businesses feel they have reached a ceiling in their local markets or are tech entrepreneurs who believe their products are not yet viable in South Africa. This year, new UK immigration rules are set to take effect as the country seeks to limit net migration. V.5584
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Applicants who prefer hard copies of ZEP waiver letters will still be able to collect them at branches. Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, during the swearing-in ceremony of the new national executive members at Cape Town International Convention Centre on 3 July, 2024 in Cape Town. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced that the first batch of Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) waiver applications has been processed. ZEP holders will no longer need to go to Home Affairs branches to find out the outcome of their applications. The department will be sending them out digitally. V.5585
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