Johannesburg – Children born in SA to foreign parents are entitled to apply for citizenship, the Western Cape High Court ruled on Thursday, the Legal Resources Centre said.
“The LRC are pleased with the judgment which affirms the rights of our clients to be treated with dignity and not to be rendered non-citizens through the wrongful interpretation of statutes,” said LRC spokesperson Claire Martens in a statement.
Martens said the ruling applied even if the children were born before the 2010 Amendment, which came into effect in 2013.
She said the applicants, represented by the LRC, were all born in SA to foreign parents before 2013 and majority of them were now over 18.
“They meet the requirements for applying for citizenship in terms of section 4(3) of the Citizenship Act, in that they were born in South Africa and have lived here since their births, and they have birth certificates attesting to their birth in South Africa,” she said.
‘Vulnerable to hostilities’
Martens said the department of home affairs had refused to consider their applications for citizenship.
“The LRC approached the High Court on behalf of the applicants, arguing that the refusal to consider the applications for citizenship is prejudicial to our clients in a real way, having not only practical implications but also infringing on constitutional entitlements.
“But not allowing them citizenship, the department is consigning them, unlawfully, to remain as non-citizens in the country that they have lived in since birth and is the only country they know.”
Martens said the non-citizen status also rendered the applicants “vulnerable to hostilities” directed at them.
She said judgment agreed that there were constitutional entitlements at stake, including the right to dignity.
“It further states that the applicants have a statutory right to apply for citizenship and the respondents cannot limit or interfere with this right by contending that no prejudice flows.”
While the court did not direct the department to provide the applicants with citizenship, Martens said it directed the department to accept the applications for citizenship from the applicants and make a decision on the applications within 10 days.
“The court also directed that the Amendment Act must be interpreted to include children born before 2013,” said Martens.
For an application of citizenship, please contact marketing@relocationafrica.com or call our head office on +27217634240.
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New Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP)
NEW ZIMBABWEAN EXEMPTION PERMIT (ZEP)
Are you a Zimbabwean citizen living in South Africa?
A four-year non-renewable permit regime for Zimbabweans based in South Africa, under the dispensation termed Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP)
Conditions for the ZEP:
Entitles the holder to work, study and, or to conduct business.
Does not entitle the holder the right to apply for permanent residence, irrespective of the period of stay in SA.
It is not renewable or extendable.
Implementation of ZEP is as follows:
The new Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) project will begin on 15 September 2017.
According to the VFS Operation Centre, they are working on the online application process. We therefore recommend that you attempt to complete your online application form on Monday, 18 September 2017.
For a service fee of R1000,00 + 14% vat, Relocation Africa will assist you with completing the online application form, scheduling an appointment, and ensuring that the required documentation is correct.
If you require advice or assistance with the application process, please contact Tracy on +27 21 763 4240 or via tracy@relocationafrica.com.
Visa hitch forces cancellation of US-Africa energy summit
A US-Africa energy summit scheduled for later September has been cancelled after African invitees were denied US visas, organisers said on Wednesday.
A notice to prospective attendees said the fully booked two-day event would not take place “because of the denial of US visas to the vast majority of registered African participants, which, as a result, defeated the purpose of the summit and made it untenable”.
Olivier Kamanzi, the Rwandan head of the Chicago-based Africa Global Chamber of Commerce, was among the scheduled speakers at the summit set to take place in Madison, the capital of the state of Wisconsin.
The ambassadors to the US from Botswana, Ghana and South Africa were also listed as speakers, along with the coordinator of former President Obama’s Power Africa programme.
TRUMP POLICY
“This is part of a broad policy of the Trump administration to deny, stall and obstruct visa requests regardless of their source,” said Samba Baldeh, a native of Gambia and an elected official in Madison.
“These denials are for everyone, from visits from a member of an immediate family, to former heads of state.”
The inability of most invitees from Africa to obtain US visas “squandered a great opportunity for energy-deprived nations to work with advanced energy providers of the US and Wisconsin,” Mr Baldeh added in comments reported by the Wisconsin State Journal.
“This policy isolated the US from the business and culture of the rest of the world.”
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Children born in SA to Foreign Parents Can Apply for Citizenship
Johannesburg – Children born in SA to foreign parents are entitled to apply for citizenship, the Western Cape High Court ruled on Thursday, the Legal Resources Centre said.
“The LRC are pleased with the judgment which affirms the rights of our clients to be treated with dignity and not to be rendered non-citizens through the wrongful interpretation of statutes,” said LRC spokesperson Claire Martens in a statement.
Martens said the ruling applied even if the children were born before the 2010 Amendment, which came into effect in 2013.
She said the applicants, represented by the LRC, were all born in SA to foreign parents before 2013 and majority of them were now over 18.
“They meet the requirements for applying for citizenship in terms of section 4(3) of the Citizenship Act, in that they were born in South Africa and have lived here since their births, and they have birth certificates attesting to their birth in South Africa,” she said.
‘Vulnerable to hostilities’
Martens said the department of home affairs had refused to consider their applications for citizenship.
“The LRC approached the High Court on behalf of the applicants, arguing that the refusal to consider the applications for citizenship is prejudicial to our clients in a real way, having not only practical implications but also infringing on constitutional entitlements.
“But not allowing them citizenship, the department is consigning them, unlawfully, to remain as non-citizens in the country that they have lived in since birth and is the only country they know.”
Martens said the non-citizen status also rendered the applicants “vulnerable to hostilities” directed at them.
She said judgment agreed that there were constitutional entitlements at stake, including the right to dignity.
“It further states that the applicants have a statutory right to apply for citizenship and the respondents cannot limit or interfere with this right by contending that no prejudice flows.”
While the court did not direct the department to provide the applicants with citizenship, Martens said it directed the department to accept the applications for citizenship from the applicants and make a decision on the applications within 10 days.
“The court also directed that the Amendment Act must be interpreted to include children born before 2013,” said Martens.
For an application of citizenship, please contact marketing@relocationafrica.com or call our head office on +27217634240.
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Interactive mobile app for relocation services in Africa
Relocation Africa is excited to announce the launch of their new Interactive Mobile App! The App will become an integral part of our service delivery going forward. Starting with Johannesburg and Cape Town, we plan to roll out the use of the App across all of our African Destinations within the next 6 months. Each assignee will be given access to the platform that will provide them with a wealth of information and knowledge about their new destination. We will include information on the location as well as information unique or specific to their relocation to the new destination. We hope this will make their transition simpler, more efficient, and allow them to settle into their daily life with ease.
What is the App?
The App, at its core allows for the secure sharing of information pertinent to the services that we are delivering to your assignees, and the city / country that they are relocating to, as well as company policy or other information that the assignee may need during their transition.
Using the App your assignee will have access to the following via their cell phone/tablet:
Its core functions include:
Information Sharing
• The Relocation Africa Country Fact Sheet.
• The Relocation Africa City Guide which is a comprehensive document, split down into various areas of interest including History, Schooling, Housing, Healthcare, Culture and Entertainment to name but a few.
• Information related to the setting up of utilities.
• A comprehensive checklist relating to the packing up of their home.
• Some Support tools such as dealing with change.
• Emergency numbers.
We will also be able to upload Lease Agreements and Check-in Inspections to the App as they become available, allowing the assignee to have all of the information related to their relocation in one place.
In addition, if required by the Client, we can tailor the App even more and upload policy documentation, employment contracts, medical insurance policies, etc. There will however be a small fee for this additional support.
Interactive Service Delivery Via the App the assignee will be able to:
• View their itinerary. This can be uploaded prior to their meeting with our Ground Consultant.
• Familiarize themselves with the location of the items on their itinerary through the interactive map function. This allows for property addresses to be entered and
highlighted on the map, and for links to the related properties to be viewed.
In addition, the interactive map will also contain local ‘points of interest’ – hospitals, shopping malls, police stations, etc.
Communication
The App can be used as a communication tool between the assignee and ourselves – we can send them short messages / reminders which will flash up on the screen of their phone.
Family members can also be added to the App, and photos and messages can be shared between them – ideal when the partner has not been able to participate in the home search or orientation trip.
We believe that the use of the App will greatly enhance the assignee experience, allowing them and their family members to access more of what they need before they travel, as well as enjoy an array of useful information about their destinations once they have arrived, all from one secure source.
This is just another way that Relocation Africa is constantly improving our services by embracing the unknown.
This product can be used in conjunction with our other services or a cost-efficient stand-alone product.
Please contact us on info@relocationafrica.com.