After attracting over 25 000 tourists in six months, Home Affairs launches phase two of Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to further boost tourism job creation

The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, can today announce the launch of phase two of the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), which adds another 45 vetted and approved tour operators to the existing 65 operators that have participated in the programme since its launch in February 2025.

TTOS was conceptualised by Minister Schreiber to address the long-standing challenge faced by tour operators in bringing large tour groups from the burgeoning source markets of India and China to South Africa. It replaced manual, inefficient and paper-based processes that required prospective tourists to travel long distances just to apply for a visa, which then often took weeks to process and required a return trip for collection, with a new online system whereby tour operators upload applications online and get digital outcomes, on average, within 24 hours. The selected tour operators have entered into agreements with the Department to assume responsibility for the tourists they bring to the country.

Since the launch of the TTOS online portal just six months ago, TTOS has already succeeded in bringing an additional 25 024 tourists from India and China to South Africa who would otherwise have been deterred by the visa delays that previously undermined the ability of group travellers from these countries to spend valuable foreign currency in South Africa.

The latest research from Operation Vulindlela shows that one new formal sector job is created for every 13 tourists who visit our country, suggesting that TTOS has already created 1 924 new jobs during its first phase. Building on this success and after a rigorous inter-departmental assessment process, Home Affairs has now expanded the original group of operators from 65 to 110, further boosting the prospects for growing the tourism industry at a time of major economic headwinds for our country.

Minister Schreiber said: “TTOS demonstrates the power of our digital transformation agenda to enable economic growth and create jobs. The fact that we have attracted over 25 000 tourists in just six months working with a small handful of tour operators, confirms the enormous potential of growing this digital-first approach. That is exactly what we doing through the expansion of TTOS, as well as the pending introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and dedicated visa schemes for events and the creative industries. Taken together, our digital transformation agenda is set to take South Africa to a whole new level as a global destination.”

Minister Schreiber concluded: “Each reform we implement must be viewed as an individual piece of the bigger digital transformation puzzle we are building. All of our work is guided by our vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home, by building digital channels that enable both South Africans and legitimate travellers to obtain services online, from the comfort of their own homes. TTOS demonstrates the power of turning this vision into practice.”

The single most common problem brought to the Orange Farm Advice Centre is disputes over 'family houses'. Legally, there is no such thing as a family house, yet it has a very real existence.

In South Africa, there are two ways of dying. With or without a will. A will gives instructions on distributing your worldly possessions. Dying without a will, or intestate, means your possessions are inherited by relatives in line with the Intestate Succession Act.

In theory, the act provides for intestate estates to be distributed in an orderly fashion. In practice, the result is chaos for many township families.
The single most common problem brought to the Orange Farm Advice Centre, partnered with Lawyers for Human Rights, is disputes over “family houses”. Legally, there is no such thing as a family house, yet it has a very real existence.

When the apartheid-era township housing stock was transferred to permit holder(s), registering the property as a family house was not an option. Nevertheless, many houses were considered by occupants to be owned by the family.

In this understanding, the property is available for any family members in need of a home, and the place of the ancestors where ceremonies are conducted. However, the law does not permit properties to be registered as a family house. What has followed is an epidemic of family house disputes.

When consulted over these disputes, we establish the property's legal owner. It's not uncommon to find, after questions and a sketched family tree, that the house is (legally) owned by five, 10, or even 20 family members in varying percentages. This legal fragmentation is an outcome of the Intestate Succession Act, which divides intestate estates between family stirpes, or lineage lines.

This legal fragmentation would be avoided if the title deed holder of the property made a will (though not disputes over the family's understanding of the property as a family house).

Jigsaw puzzle
However, despite encouragement, such as the legal profession's laudable September Wills Week, few people in South Africa's townships make a will and die testate. Outside of Wills Week, the advice centre has more people coming in with a jigsaw puzzle of house ownership stemming from intestate succession than seeking assistance with writing a will.

The social reality of township residents dying intestate can't be willed away. Rather, the gulf between fragmented legal ownership and the understanding of the family house needs to be addressed. The longer delayed, the further family houses will be legally fragmented and the more complex the disputes.
Those seeking advice are often shocked at just how many people have some legal ownership of the property that was transferred to a parent or grandparent. Then they are despondent when we explain the legal cost of winding up estates and conveyancing.

Often, the best advice is to ignore the legal labyrinth we've mapped out. Rather, attempt to resolve the dispute through a family meeting. This advice kicks the legal can down the road for future generations, but is the best we can suggest.

Before the 2004 Constitutional Court's judgment in Bhe v Khayelitsha Magistrate, unless black Africans drew up a will, their estate devolved in terms of the Black Administration Act and the principle of primogeniture kicks in; the oldest male son is heir to the estate of their father.

The act provided an imperfect codification of customary law that excluded women, and younger sons. The court found this unconstitutional. Ten out of the court's 11 justices ruled that the Intestate Succession Act would henceforth apply to all South Africans. This has contributed significantly to the chaos of property ownership in townships.

The eleventh justice, Sandile Ngcobo, who later served as Chief Justice, dissented. He did not dispute the Black Administration Act's unconstitutionality but argued that customary law provided a mechanism not for inheritance, but succession in which the (eldest male) heir was custodian, not owner, of family property that was legally undivided.

Justice Ngcobo's proposed amendment was that traditional succession in African families would fall to the oldest child, irrespective of gender.
Social bedlam
This still left aspects of the Black Administrations Act unconstitutional, such as age discrimination. Yet, the majority judgment in Bhe illustrates how bringing legislation into constitutional alignment can create social bedlam.

Given the reality of intestate estates, particularly in townships, family houses need to be separated from the Intestate Succession Act. This is not a farfetched proposal — private pensions and provident funds, often a major component of a person's estate, are distributed separately from the provisions of the Intestate Succession Act.

Public interest law NGOs are pursuing litigation to have the family house recognised as a legal category. This would reduce the often-intractable property disputes within families.

It must, however, be accompanied by the separation of the family houses from the Intestate Succession Act, allowing these properties to pass, at minimal cost, from one generation to the next.

A white South African couple living in Sydney seeking a protection visa are begging the Australian government not to deport them over their fear of "persecution".
They've even gone as far as to call returning home a "death sentence".

Their pleas come as many white South Africans, and those of racial minorities, have been invited to apply for the refugee resettlement programme in the US, under President Donald Trump's Executive Order.

SA COUPLE BEGS AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT TO LET THE STAY
In 2018, Charné-Lee Gunning and Ivan Strauss arrived in Sydney, Australia, as visitors. They applied for protection visas but were denied. They've since appealed the decision.

Speaking to Sky News, Estimating Manager Charné-Lee said of her adoptive country: "We feel at home here. We feel safe. I can't begin to explain how grateful we are for the few years we've had".

Charné-Lee and Ivan – an air conditioning technician – claim that they both were victims of violent crimes, implied on the basis of their race, in South Africa. They are awaiting news on whether they will be granted protection visas and, ultimately, permanent residency.

"I feel like that would be our death sentence. Especially with what is going on in South Africa at the moment", the South African woman added.
If their protection visas are declined, they would be given 35 days to return home.

According to authorities, the couple could seek another avenue of staying in Australia. This includes the 482 Visa, also known as the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) Visa, which permits employers to hire overseas workers based on their skills.

WHAT IS A PROTECTION VISA?
An Australian protection visa is granted to individuals who claim they are at risk of harm and persecution in their country of birth.
Applicants, classified as "refugees", must prove that their fears are legitimately based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership of a social group.

According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs, applicants must also prove the following:
• There is no safe area in your country
• There is no other safe country in which you can live,
• You haven't committed any serious crimes.

Under the protection visa, applicants can live, work, and study in Australia. They are also permitted to sponsor eligible family members for permanent residence through the offshore Humanitarian Program.

Like the US refugee resettlement programme, there are conditions, such as being refused a protection order if you intend to travel to your home country, even to visit family members.

If you are granted a protection visa, you will not be able to travel to the country you have sought protection from without permission from the Australian Government. You will need permission even if your family lives there.

If your South African Spousal Visa has expired — you could be in serious trouble with Home Affairs. Here's what you need to know:
The Risks:
x You become undocumented and may face fines, arrest, or even deportation.
x You could be declared an “undesirable person”, banning you from re-entering SA for up to 5 years.

The Solutions:
- Renew early — ideally 60 days before expiry.
- If already expired, you may need to apply for a good cause or waiver.
- Gather proof of your ongoing relationship (photos, joint accounts, lease agreements).

Important: If your visa expired because of delays, missing documents, or a personal crisis — you may still have legal options to fix it.
Contact SA Migration today for expert help before it's too late!
WhatsApp: +27 82 373 8415
info@samigration.com
www.samigration.com
#SpousalVisa #ImmigrationSouthAfrica #VisaRenewal #SouthAfricaVisa #LifePartnerVisa #VisaHelp #HomeAffairs #ImmigrationLaw #GetLegal

If you're the spouse or life partner of a South African Business Visa holder, the Immigration Act allows you to apply for authorisation to work in that business - but it's not automatic!

Here's how it works:
- You must hold a valid Spousal or Life Partner Temporary Residence Visa.
- Apply to Home Affairs to add work rights linked specifically to your partner's business.
- The authorisation will state you can only work for that business, not elsewhere.
- No need for a separate work visa - but you can't just “start working” without approval.

Tip: Get the conditions endorsed in writing before you begin. This protects you from compliance issues during inspections.
Working without proper authorisation can put your visa - and the business - at risk.

Contact SA Migration for expert help with your application:
WhatsApp: +27 82 373 8415
info@samigration.com
www.samigration.com
#BusinessVisaSA #SpousalVisa #LifePartnerVisa #WorkRights #ImmigrationSouthAfrica #VisaHelp #SouthAfricaBusiness #ForeignSpouse #ImmigrationLaw