In a recent change to South African immigration policies, especially for people who want to apply for a Work Permit while already in South Africa, things are changing. Especially regarding Visitor Permits with permission to work (Sect 11(1) with permission in terms of Sect 11(2)). The South African Department of Home Affairs has issued a …
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Obtaining details from the national population register 0
It may interest you to know that the information on the national population register maintained by the Department of Home Affairs is for sale. The legislation which governs the distribution of the information contained in the national population register is the Identification Act (Act 68 of 1997), which is still in force in the year …
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Nationality by birth – national policy in South Africa 0
Illegal immigration is a prominent issue in several countries in the world. A number of those countries belong to the group of so-called developed nations, which is merely a reference to their level of industrialization and technological advancement. However, with increasing industrialization comes a more consumerist-oriented lifestyle and therefore more food, more products and services …
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Census in South Africa – 15 years on 0
After the recent census in South Africa, for which the results have not yet been released, it seems interesting to take a look at the results of the 1996 national census, so as to prepare the way for a comparison with the 2011 results when they are eventually made public. 15 years may not seem …
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Travel docs for refugees 5
People in a country who have official refugee status have recourse to a travel document known as the United Nations Travel Convention document (UNTCD). They are supposed to use it instead of their passport, since the danger in traveling on the passport of their nationality is that if they are deported they may be taken …
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Deportation and the census 0
The national census of South Africa is underway until 31 October, and every household is being counted. The census questions are very basic and include such information as how many people live at an address and how technologically modernised their lifestyle is. However, one of the census questions is as to where each person was …
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Lesotho 0
With Zimbabwe so much in the news these days in South Africa, as well as the issue of immigration to South Africa by people in Zimbabwe, I have decided for a change to focus on another one of South Africa’s neighbours, Lesotho. Lesotho is an extremely rare country in that it is entirely landlocked by …
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Xenophobia in South Africa 0
South Africa is a country with a history of nasty labels for people. If you take any cultural grouping in the country for the last 350 years, you are probably going to find derogatory names for them. In Apartheid, the most obvious was the terrible word “Kaffer” which was used to address dark-skinned people. This …
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PASSOP gets a dressing down from Home Affairs 5
People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP) is a local non-profit organisation representing and advocating for refugees in South Africa. Established in 2007, the majority of its members are refugees (although for some reason its name does not indicate that fact). The Afrikaans word “pasop” means beware, and is often seen on “Beware of the …
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Unqualified audit for the Department of Home Affairs 1
For the first time since 1995, the South African Department of Home Affairs has achieved an unqualified audit. Announcing this historic occasion last week, Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said that: “In our walk towards an unqualified audit opinion, the Department of Home Affairs has become a normal department simultaneously achieving improved levels of …
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