Andrew Stegmann

New Zealand Visa Changes: The First of Many New Restrictions for SA Immigration?

Cape Town – The recent announcement of the changes to New Zealand’s visa regulations for travelling to South Africa may not be the last change SA’s Department of Home Affairs will be making to SA’s relatively open immigration policy.

SA’s Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, on Tuesday, 13 December 2016, announced that travellers from New Zealand will have to obtain a visa to enter South Africa.

The announcement came after New Zealand, in October this year, announced new regulations requiring South African travellers to purchase a visa before entering.

“Reciprocity is a national principle,” Gigaba said on Tuesday. “Therefore, in view of the aforementioned, a decision was taken to reciprocate by withdrawing the visa exemption which New Zealand passport holders enjoy,” he said.

Source

Andrew Stegmann

Mashaba Sticks to His Guns on Illegal Foreigners

Johannesburg – Defiant City of Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba has reiterated that the media misinterpreted the statement he made about illegal foreigners. Mashaba was in hot water after he publicly called for illegal immigrants to leave the city.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, Mashaba said no one was above the law, hence all people, regardless of their nationality, must respect the rule of law. “Foreigner or not, we must respect the rule of law. South Africa will only survive when people respect the law,” he said.

Mashaba said illegal foreigners perpetuate the already soaring rate of unemployment and cripple the country’s economy. He said there was an influx of uncontrollabe immigrants in Joburg, hence he called upon the national government to intervene. “We need border management strategies to control this problem, ” added Mashaba.

He met with Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba to discuss immigration problems and proposed border control frameworks and strategies.
Gigaba expressed his gratitude and thanked Mashaba for seeking assistance from the national government as this matter was a national problem.
René Stegmann

Consulate Closures in South Africa.

  1.  ALL VFS Schengen – Will be open, only closed on South African Public Holidays

 

  1.  Angola Cape Town – Closing 15th December re-opening 09th January 2017

 

  1.  Angola Johannesburg – Closing 15th December 2016 and re-opening 11th January 2017

 

  1.  Belgium – Will be open, only closed on South African Public Holidays (Cape Town and Johannesburg)

 

  1.  Canada – Normal Christmas holidays

 

  1.  China Closed – Closed 16, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  Egypt – No updates yet but generally closed between Christmas and South African Public Holidays

 

  1.  France – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  Germany – Only Closed on South African public Holidays. The Embassy and Consulate will have skeleton staff but will impact the processing times.

 

  1.  Greece – Normal Christmas holidays.

 

  1.  Italy – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  Japan – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  Madagascar – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  Morocco – No updates yet but generally closed between Christmas and South African Public Holidays

 

  1.  Mozambique – No updates yet but generally closed between Christmas and South African Public Holidays

 

  1.  Nigeria – Closed between 28th of December 2016 and 2 January 2017

 

  1.  Russia – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017 to 6 January 2017

 

  1.  Rwanda – No updates yet but generally closed between Christmas and South African Public Holidays

 

  1.  Senegal – 26 December 2016 until 02 January 2017

 

  1.  Taiwan – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  TLS Australia – 26 December 2016 until 2 January 2017

 

  1.  TLS Switzerland – Closed on certain days currently confirmed for 27, 28 and 29 December 2016. Another update will follow next week.

 

  1.  TLS United Kingdom – Only closed on South African Public Holidays and working with skeleton staff (May impact processing times)

 

  1.  Uganda: Closed from 15 December 2016 until 5 January 2017

 

  1.  Ukraine – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

  1.  USA (no updates yet but generally between closed between Christmas and South African Public Holidays)

 

  1.  Vietnam – Closed 16th, 26th, 27th December 2016 and 02nd January 2017

 

Andrew Stegmann
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SA to Get Child Passport

PRETORIA – The Department of Home Affairs says it’s working hard to make travel easier for South Africans.

For many parents, getting the right documents to leave the country with their kids, is a nightmare, in response Home Affairs is now working on introducing a passport for children.

Home Affairs Director General, Mkuseli Apleni said, “Now we have designed a new passport at the time that the parents applying for the child passport, the details of parents will already be in the passport, parents cannot change they will remain until you die, then there won’t be a need to carry the birth certificate.”

The new passport will become available next year.

The department hopes this document will also help stop child trafficking. Over 30, 000 minors are trafficked through South African borders annually.

Meanwhile, officials say budget cuts have affected operations.

Apleni explained, “As a department we were affected about the issue of capping the number of positions, we are lower base it causes problems and at the OR Tambo you cleared based on the number of counters and it’s frustrate passengers to arrive at OR Tambo, there are 45 counters and 20 counters are manned, cause we don’t have people.”

But despite the personnel shortages, officials are promising, travellers will get adequate service at immigration checkpoints.

Source