Cape Town — Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, welcomed the decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to allow the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to probe all Visa-related issues.
This comes after reports alleged that Zimbabwean national, Kudakwashe Mpofu, the North West Development Corporation CFO, who managed to falsely acquire a permanent residence permit in South Africa. Motsoaledi confirmed the fraudulent nature of Mpofu’s permit, SABC News reported.
This highlighted the battle with the department to prevent his deportation back to Zimbabwe. The minister also addressed a circular issue by the Department to Border Management Authorities (BMA) regarding the proper protocols when it comes to encountering foreign nationals who fail to comply with specific border categories.
“When the circular was issued it was an attempt to guide the BMA officials because they were regarded as new at the borders, otherwise this is in the law that has been happening for a long time. But if you have applied for your extension and you didn’t get an answer your receipt is regarded as an extension temporary until the answer is provided.” he said.
[News]
South Africa’s Minister of Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, says he has requested the Special Investigating Unit to probe the department’s process of issuing residence permits following the recent dispute between the department and a Zimbabwean national.#ChannelAfricaNews pic.twitter.com/Lv8oSS7YPe— Channel Africa (@channelafrica1) March 17, 2024
According to EWN, Motsoaledi said the department has no intention of destroying the tourism sector by forcing foreign nationals awaiting visa outcomes to leave the country. The circular instructed foreigners who had not received a response to their applications to extend their stay in the country by the end of last month to return to their home countries.
Motsoaledi assured foreigners and tourists that there was no need for panic as the department is currently experiencing a backlog, saying tourists will be able to stay if they provide evidence of their visa application.
“In case your visa expires before the department has responded to your application, that receipt will act as an extension of your visa until such time that you get a response – positive or negative from the department.”
He said the circular did not create any major problems with law enforcement for tourists who are currently in the predicament.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
