Schreiber promises no more long queues, off-line systems at Home Affairs as digital move beckons

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said that plans were underway for the Department of Home Affairs to switch from working manually to digitally.
CAPE TOWN - Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said that long queues, off-line systems, and paper-based applications at department offices would soon be a thing of the past.
Schreiber said that plans were underway for the Department of Home Affairs to switch from working manually to digitally.
The minister said that embracing technological solutions was key to turning the department's fortunes around.
Minister Schreiber said that Home Affairs would soon introduce a paperless system similar to the online portal used by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the banks.
Schreiber said that the department would create a secure platform through the use of facial and fingerprint recognition tools.
"No more standing in queues, no more waiting months or years for an outcome of an application, no more being kept in the dark about the status of an application, and no more space for officials or syndicates to solicit bribes for a transaction to be processed."
Schreiber said he would not rest until belief was restored in South Africans that the department could work and thrive.


Lesotho counts foreign-owned businesses, says SA retailers must find local partners


Lesotho has restarted a plan to act against foreign-owned businesses, and to pressure South African companies to work via Basotho-owned distributors. 

The kingdom created new regulations in 2021 that could see foreign-owned businesses kicked out, but has been moving slowly on implementation for fear of paralysing the smallest economy in the region.

A list of 47 business types, from general dealers to barbers, are reserved for locals under those rules.

On Friday, Trade and Industry Minister Mokhethi Shelile told the National Assembly that an inspection in Maseru in June found that the overwhelming majority of businesses in areas reserved for locals were in the hands of foreigners.

"A total of 106 businesses were inspected and 80 belonged to foreigners. The foreign-owned businesses account for 90% of the jobs in this sector," he said.

In Maseru, Chinese and Indian owners dominated.

Their businesses were also far more likely to employ foreigners; foreign-owned businesses employed 119 expatriates, while Basotho-owned businesses employed only four foreigners between them, Shelile said.

The government said it was seeing people from countries other than China and India move into sectors such as retail, and that it was seeing an increase in newly naturalised owners.

"There are 13 businesses whose owners were naturalised," Shelile said, adding that there was a likelihood the figure would increase because others claimed they were naturalised and said they would bring their documentation.

Shelile said the government had urged South African firms, mostly in the retail sector, to enlist local distributors.

The government wants to see about 800 SA businesses do such deals, covering 80% of imported goods.

The government also wants to end the practice of locals being employed by third-party agents in South Africa, who then provide their services to South African companies required to employ Basotho people.

That system means taxes go to South Africa rather than Lesotho, Shelile explained.

"Sales commissions that are paid to these sales representatives and foreign agents attract tax in South Africa, not Lesotho. Youth unemployment is very high and government debt is very high," he said.

A similar inspection was done in Leribe in mid-August, and another is due in Mafeteng this month.


Home Affairs announces Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to boost tourism from China and India

In a critical step to reform the visa system and position the Department as an economic enabler by supercharging job creation in the tourism sector, Home Affairs today announces the creation of an innovative new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), set to be implemented from January 2025.
With an initial focus on the burgeoning tourist markets of China and India, the TTOS will remove some of the key obstacles standing in the way of South Africa becoming a favoured tourism destination for the second and fifth largest economies in the world. Chinese tourists made over 100 million outbound trips in 2023, with South Africa receiving a miniscule 93,000 of these arrivals. In comparison, a country like Australia attracted over 1.4 million visitors from China in 2023. At the moment, Indian tourists account for only 3.9% of all international visitors to South Africa – and China for only 1.8%.
In collaboration with the Department of Tourism, as well as the Presidency and Operation Vulindlela, the Department of Home Affairs has resolved to play our role in rectifying this unacceptable economic underperformance by urgently clearing obstacles to tourism from these two major source-markets. After seeing the positive impact made by the Trusted Employer Scheme (TES), which provides swift and simplified visa processing services to vetted and approved businesses to attract critical skills, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber directed that the same principle be applied to cutting red tape and improving efficiency for tourists from non-visa exempt countries like China and India.
Through TTOS, vetted and approved tour operators from these countries will be invited to register with the Department. In exchange for undergoing thorough screening up- front and assuming responsibility for travellers in their groups, the Department will for the very first time process group applications from Chinese and Indian tourists travelling with approved operators. Tourist visa applications processed through TTOS will be handled by a dedicated and skilled team of adjudicators to ensure swift and reliable processing, and will also benefit from the removal of restrictive red tape that currently suffocates South Africa’s tourism potential.
“I am particularly pleased that we are able to make this announcement during the President’s state visit to China, as it sends a powerful message that the Government of National Unity is serious about unlocking our country’s vast tourism and economic potential,” said Minister Schreiber. “Research indicates that boosting tourism by only 10% per year can boost annual economic growth by 0.6% and create tens of thousands of new jobs for South Africans. Travelling in large groups is the preferred option for many tourists from some countries and it is time for our visa system to adapt in order to reflect and capitalise on this reality.”
Minister Schreiber added: “This is only the start of Home Affairs’ embrace of our role as an economic enabler. Exciting as it is, TTOS is itself but an interim measure to boost tourism while we move with speed to digitally transform Home Affairs. Ultimately, our vision is for a fully automated process that delivers secure tourist visa outcomes digitally and within seconds to tourists from around the world.”
The regulations for the TTOS will be published shortly, as well as information on how tour operators can apply with the Department of Home Affairs ahead of the scheme’s rollout in January 2025.
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ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS


Home Affairs processes over 60 000 ZEP applications, outcomes to be sent digitally

Applicants who prefer hard copies of ZEP waiver letters will still be able to collect them at branches.

Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, during the swearing-in ceremony of the new national executive members at Cape Town International Convention Centre on 3 July, 2024 in Cape Town. 

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced that the first batch of Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) waiver applications has been processed.

ZEP holders will no longer need to go to Home Affairs branches to find out the outcome of their applications. The department will be sending them out digitally.

In December last year, then-minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi granted at least 178,000 Zimbabweans exemption permits until 29 November 2025.

Until then, no holder of a valid exemption permit may be arrested, ordered to depart or be detained for purposes of deportation or deported for any reason related to them not having any valid exemption certificate.

In the meantime, Zimbabweans have to apply for other types of visas to regulate their stay in the country.

The ZEP has allowed Zimbabweans to live, work and study in South Africa since 2009. This has been part of the Dispensation of Zimbabweans Project.

ZEP waiver applications

Schreiber announced on Thursday that the department has managed to process 60,582 outstanding ZEP waiver applications. Many of these date back to 2022.

The department will process another 22,529 ZEP waiver applications soon, he said. 

“Over time, this digital-first approach will be extended to other applicants in the visa and permit regime,” said Schreiber. 

“This means that applicants will no longer be required to visit a VFS branch to collect physical, paper-based copies of the waiver letters. Instead, starting today with ZEP holders and later, all applicants will conveniently receive digital waiver letters, in PDF format, through email. These digital letters can be used to submit a mainstream visa application going forward.

“While this step on its own may be a small one, it is still meaningful as part of our larger quest to clamp down on corruption and to enhance [the] efficiency of services by transforming Home Affairs into a digital-first Department.”

Applicants who still prefer to collect hard copies of ZEP waiver letters at branches will still be able to do so.

Digital-first Home Affairs

In his statement to the portfolio committee in Home Affairs in parliament last week, Schreiber said the issues faced by the department, including application delays and fraud, were a national threat and would only be curbed by a digital approach.

“The lack of a modern digital system to process all applications, adjudications and communication at Home Affairs is the root cause of the national security threat we face in this sector,” said Schreiber.

“Home Affairs systems are vulnerable to fraud, corruption and discretion because they are outdated, antiquated, paper-based, manual and, therefore, open to subversion.”

The minister said he would move with urgency to digitally transport the department.

With refugee status is it possible and how do I renew my driverss licence?

The short answer

As you have refugee status you should not have any difficulty renewing your licence

The whole question

I am a refugee with a four year refugee status that I renew every four years.

My RSA driver's licence expired last week. I went to the traffic department to renew it and was told they no longer renew our licences without first speaking to Home Affairs. How does one get it all fixed?

 The long answer

Thank you for your email about your difficulties renewing your driver’s licence.

As you have refugee status you should not have any difficulty renewing your licence.

It may be that a regulation 32(A) of the National Road Traffic Regulations promulgated in 2014 is creating a problem:

This regulation 32(A) says that “Motorists must verify all personal and address particulars with any motor vehicle or driving licence transaction.”

If, on the other hand, the problem is not to do with any technical detail, but is to do with Home Affairs’ notorious inefficiency and lack of capacity, you could ask the following organisation for assistance: