May 2025 Budget: Digital transformation at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will see the ministry prioritise the use of artificial intelligence (AI) over the next three years.

This is in an effort to streamline routine tasks and reduce the need for human intervention, according to the updated Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) document that coincides with the budget speech.

The ENE is tabled in Parliament with the Appropriation Bill. It provides detailed information based on the allocations set out in the Bill, as well as government’s proposed spending plans and resource allocations for the full medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) period (2025/26 to 2027/28).
According to the DHA, the AI-driven advancements will look to increase the speed of processing applications and reducing rates of error, helping to address capacity shortages by implementing fit-for-purpose technology tailored to specific use cases.
“Once rolled out, the electronic travel authorisation solution is expected to rely on artificial intelligence to process applications for travel documents,” says the document.

“The prototype of this solution will be expanded to all visa or permit categories at a projected cost of R100 million over the medium-term.”
marginally from R12.1 billion in 2024/25 to R12.5 billion in 2026/27, before decreasing to R12.1 billion in 2027/28.

This, it notes, is due to additional allocations in 2026/27 of R885 million to the Electoral Commission for the 2026 local government elections, and R306 million to the Border Management Authority to enhance border security and improve the management of South Africa’s ports of entry.
In the ENE, the DHA highlights that lack of a modern, digital system for processing applications, adjudicating cases and communicating outcomes creates national security vulnerabilities and inefficiencies because outdated paper-based processes are prone to fraud, corruption and discretionary misuse, making them susceptible to manipulation.

“Comprehensive digital transformation remains a priority for the department, and technical solutions are required to address persistent challenges. As such, over the MTEF period, the department plans to mitigate the vulnerabilities caused by manual processes through expediting the digitisation of paper records.
“To this end, it is expected that a total of 27 million civic service records – including birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as amendments – will be digitised per year over the MTEF period. As funding for this was allocated only until 2023/24, R300 million is reprioritised from the department’s baseline in 2025/26 to continue this work.”

Over the period ahead, the department also plans to ensure all its services are fully automated, digitised and accessible online.
“Citizens who require routine civic services, such as applying for or renewing smart identity cards, passports or certificates, should be able to do so through a secure online platform that is integrated with their captured biometric data.

“Applications will be processed by an automated risk engine, requiring department personnel interventions only when anomalies are detected. Upon completion, these documents will be delivered directly to clients in South Africa or abroad. These activities are funded through the citizen affairs management subprogramme in the citizen affairs programme, which is allocated R427.3 million over the medium-term.”

For the 2025/26 financial year, the DHA is targeting 220 mobile offices to be functional, saying these will be equipped with the required hardware, systems and connectivity to operate as standard home affairs offices, and will be deployed specifically in areas with populations of 40 000 or less.

“Funds for this, amounting to an estimated R45 million in 2025/26, are allocated in the citizen affairs management and service delivery to provinces’ subprogrammes in the citizen affairs programme.

“To facilitate the application process for smart identity cards and passports, the department also plans to roll out virtual interactive self-service kiosks in 2025/26, which will enable clients to reprint birth, marriage and death certificates. These kiosks will be installed in 66 non-modernised offices at a projected cost of R60 million.”

“The days of ‘system offline’ need to come to an end,” said home affairs minister Dr Leon Schreiber last year. “In order to achieve this, we need to embrace modern technological solutions.”

ASYLUM SEEKERS PERMIT EXPIRED during LOCKDOWN – Don’t know what to do ?
Apply Now for Temporary Residence even with EXPIRED LOCKDOWN PERMITS
The Constitutional Court handed down a judgement in the Ahmed matter as well as a Court Order opening the door for Asylum Seekers and Refugees to apply to change their status to temporary residence visa . Contact us now before this fantastic opportunity is lost .
Contact us now and ask me HOW CHANGE TO TEMPORARY RESIDENCE . Travel abroad from South Africa , get a Canada , Schengen Visa afterwards .
Under the new rules they don’t have to cancel their asylum or refugee status and can change to any visa class if they qualify from within
South Africa
please contact us on :
Sa Migration International

Whatsapp Tel No : +27 (0) 82 373 8415

Tel No office : +27 (0) 82 373 8415 ( Whatsapp )
Tel No admin : +27 (0) 64 126 3073
Tel No sales : +27 (0) 74 0366127
Fax No : 086 579 0155

www.samigration.com

How can we help you?
Please email us to info@samigration.com
Whatsapp message us on: +27 82 373 8415

Where are you now?
Check our website : www.samigration.com

Please rate us by clinking on this links :
Sa Migration Visas
https://g.page/SAMigration?gm


Get More Info By Following Our Page: https://www.youtube.com/@samigration

KwaMhlanga Magistrate’s Court charged Alfred Ubissi, 31, with fraud and corruption for allegedly obtaining an ID illegally with the help of a home affairs official.
• Alfred Ubissi, 31, was charged with fraud and corruption for allegedly obtaining an ID illegally with the help of a home affairs official, Violet Mabena.
• Mabena reportedly charged R20 000 for the forged document.
• She allegedly took Ubissi’s fingerprints, crafting an ID with someone else’s details but Ubissi’s photo.

A 31-year-old accused of identity theft, with the alleged assistance of a Department of Home Affairs official, was charged with fraud and corruption in the KwaMhlanga Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said they arrested Alfred Ubissi, believed to have been born in South Africa to a Zimbabwean father and a Mozambican mother, on Thursday on charges of fraud and corruption.
According to the Hawks, Ubissi allegedly approached Violet Mabena, a home affairs official, in 2021 to arrange an ID, as he was born to parents from two different neighbouring countries.

“The two parties entered into an agreement, and the home affairs employee put a price tag of R20 000 to finalise the deal,” the Hawks said in a statement.
The Hawks said that according to their information, Mabena arrived at Ubissi’s home on the agreed day with a fingerprints form and inkpad, where she proceeded to take his fingerprints.

“[She] completed the names reflecting on the birth certificate belonging to an unknown person to the suspect. It is alleged that after fingerprints were taken, Mabena was paid R3 000,” said the Hawks.

“Four months later, in December 2021, Mabena came to the suspect’s place with the identity document bearing the suspect’s photo, but somebody else’s name and surname.”

The Hawks received information from a reliable source, prompting an investigation that led to the court issuing a warrant of arrest against Mabena.
Mabena was arrested at her workplace in November last year.

She appeared in the KwaMhlanga Magistrate’s Court on the same day and was released on R3 000 bail.
“An intense investigation led the court to issue a warrant of arrest against the suspect [Ubissi],” said the Hawks.
The head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Mpumalanga, Major-General Nico Gerber, expressed satisfaction with the professional investigation and stated that he believes justice will be served.
“We will not tolerate corruption in whatever form and will persevere in ensuring justice is served,” he said.

South African Citizen by Descent
South African Citizen by Naturalisation:
Automatic loss of Citizenship
Resumption of South African citizenship
Deprivation of Citizenship
South African Citizen by Naturalisation:
Automatic loss of Citizenship
Resumption of South African citizenship
Acquisition of the citizenship or nationality of another country

How can we help you?
Please email us to info@samigration.com
Whatsapp message us on: +27 82 373 8415

Where are you now?
Check our website : www.samigration.com

Please rate us by clinking on this links :
Sa Migration Visas
https://g.page/SAMigration?gm


Get More Info By Following Our Page: https://www.youtube.com/@samigration

The Department of Home Affairs has been forced to reconsider its approach to amending the Refugees Act after legal advisers rejected its proposed changes to controversial sections that had been ruled unconstitutional.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) must go back to the drawing board to align the Refugees Act with the Constitution, following advice against its proposed approach to sections 22(12) and 22(13) of the legislation.
This emerged during a meeting in Parliament of the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on Tuesday, at which Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber and other DHA officials updated the committee on progress in amending sections of the legislation that courts had ruled were constitutionally deficient.
In 2023, the Scalabrini Centre took the DHA to court over amendments made to the Refugees Act in 2020, specifically the introduction of sections 22(12) and 22(13).

These sections provided for the “automatic abandonment” of asylum applications if an asylum seeker or refugee failed to renew their permit within one month of its expiry. In practice, this meant that if an asylum seeker did not renew their visa, the DHA could presume they no longer wished to seek refugee status or apply for asylum, and could be subject to deportation or required to leave South Africa.
Scalabrini brought the case before the Western Cape High Court, arguing that the provisions infringed constitutional rights, including the rights to life, dignity, and freedom and security of the person. The organisation cited the practical and systemic challenges that applicants face at the DHA when attempting to renew their permits.

Earlier this month, the court declared the provisions invalid and unconstitutional.
Following the judgment, the DHA consulted the Refugee Appeals Authority and the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs. Both bodies supported the subsections declared constitutionally invalid, recommending their retention but proposing that the period for renewing an expired visa be extended from one month to 180 days, in line with the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act.
However, the Office of the Chief State Law Adviser (OCSLA), which provides legal counsel to the executive and all government departments, declined to issue a preliminary certificate for the draft Bill.

It said the DHA’s approach to the judgment and its attempt to amend the legislation failed to address the fundamental reasons that sections 22(12) and 22(13) were declared invalid, which were:
• The provisions were arbitrary, as their introduction meant asylum seekers could be deported not solely on the merits of their claims but due to external circumstances.
• The provisions did not account for external factors that might prevent the renewal of asylum visas, such as the location of the nearest Refugee Reception Office (RRO), the length of queues at RROs, or the workload within these offices.
The DHA has concluded that any amendments to the Act will need to be addressed through a supplementary white paper at a later stage.

DHA pivots on legal challenge approach
The DHA’s next attempt at amending the Act is likely to comply with constitutional requirements, if Schreiber’s address to the portfolio committee is any indication.

Schreiber noted that Home Affairs was among the most litigated departments in government, if not the most, and that this was something the DHA aimed to change.
He stated that the department no longer viewed litigation as something that must always be opposed at any cost, adding: “We are looking at cases in a much more merit-based way, considering whether there are prospects of success and certainly not making decisions to oppose matters for the sake of it.”
Discussing the department’s approach to legal challenges, Schreiber said the DHA’s decisions were always anchored in legal advice, constitutionality and the requirements of the law.

“We have a high mountain to climb in terms of re-establishing the rule of law in this space of Home Affairs — whether it is civics, immigration or the asylum management system — and we cannot do that unless we ourselves are leading by example,” said Schreiber.
He emphasised that ensuring the DHA’s operations and functions aligned with the Constitution was not merely about improving the department’s image, but also about reducing costs.

“The contingent liability that comes from legal exposure, as well as the day-to-day cost of spending so much money on legal cases, is in and of itself, in the current budget environment, a very clear reason for us to focus on this area and make sure we reduce the burden of legal cases on this department,” he said.