The Department of Home Affairs is considering launching a premium service that would allow South Africans to pay extra to fast-track their document applications.This is according to Thomas Sigama, the Deputy Director-General for Civic Services at Home Affairs, who was answering questions before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs.Home Affairs is responsible for identity documents and smart IDs, passports, marriage certificates, birth certificates, and death certificates. It also issues various permits, including permanent residency and work visas.When all is well, and we have already concluded our tests¦ we will come and present those initiatives to the committee, Sigama said.Sigama made his comments following a presentation on the departments efforts to combat corruption and fraud affecting South Africas identity documents, including passports and visas.A report from the Counter Corruption and Security Services branch at Home Affairs revealed that between April 2022 and September 2024, 727 cases have been investigated.Data analysis uncovered the involvement of South African citizens, officials and foreign nationals in the unlawful processing of South African passports at different Home Affairs offices during the day and night,its presentation stated.Following multi-disciplinary investigations, Home Affairs said thirteen people, including the kingpin behind the passport fraud scheme, received jail sentences ranging from 4 to 26 years.Another 21 people involved in the passport photo swap scheme are still awaiting criminal trial.âSome matters are still under investigation with the Hawks, and more arrests are imminent, the counter-corruption branchs presentation said.In addition to investigating domestic officials, the branch also said that there have been cases against Home Affairs and Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) officials stationed at foreign missions.These include the High Commissions in Accra (Ghana), Beijing (China), and Tunisia (North Africa).Investigators visited the High Commission in Accra to investigate the unlawful processing of visa applications by an official who was at the Assistant Director level. The matter was referred to Employee Engagement and subsequently to the multi-disciplinary task team.In Beijing, investigators looked into the unlawful processing of inter-company transfer visas by two officials. The matter was also referred, with one official dismissed and another resigning.The Tunisian investigation involves the 95 Libyan nationals who were arrested in Mpumalanga, where they were undergoing security training.Home Affairs said Dirco officials issued study visas to the individuals. The foreigners have been deported and the case referred to Dirco for further handling.The counter-corruption branch said its main challenge was a lack of capacity, as it was operating at 28% of its staff complement.This increases the time it takes to finalise investigations, and prevents it from conducting more awareness programmes and implementing prevention measures such as big data analytics.The Department of Home Affairs has said that its long-term goal to eliminate fraud and corruption was to digitally transform the institution and minimise opportunities for human intervention in document applications.Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber has said their future end-to-end digital platform that will handle all applications, adjudications, and communications between South Africans and the department.After an online application for an ID, passport, certificate, or visa is submitted, a machine-learning-based risk engine will verify the completeness of the application.The system will authenticate users, check for fraudulent documents, conduct facial recognition checks, cross-reference databases, process cashless transactions, and communicate the outcome to the applicant  all within seconds.No more standing in queues, no more waiting months or years for an outcome, no more being kept in the dark about the status of an application, Schreiber said.And no more space for officials or syndicates to solicit bribes for a transaction to be processed.Once the system is in place, Schreiber said Home Affairs could deliver services to South Africans anywhere in the world.There is also no logical reason why we cannot offer a service where IDs and passports are delivered to the door of the applicant anywhere in the world  again, exactly like we already do in the banking sector with debit and credit cards, he said.The platform will allow citizens to access Home Affairs services online through a secure portal, comparable to widely used online banking platforms.Schreiber said they could create secure profiles of every citizen and visitor to South Africa using existing facial and fingerprint recognition technology, such as the Face ID and fingerprint features found on smartphones.He said if the department gets this right, the need to visit Home Affairs for routine transactions will be eliminated.This shift would also enhance the work environment for department staff, allowing them to focus on more exciting and productive tasks.This would include devoting our staff to serving those who truly need it most, said Schreiber.Including the poorest members of our society, people in rural areas, the 10% of South Africans who dont yet use smart devices, and those exceptional or complicated cases that require more resources to resolve.

Passports are essential travel documents when applying for a visa and your ticket to seeing the world.South African residents looking to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) now have the option to apply for their visas at VFS Global centres around the country. VFS Global announced that it was awarded the contract to provide UK visa services in 142 countries worldwide. This means that South African travellers can now book appointments to submit their visa applications through the agency at its Visa Application Centres (VAC) located in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria. The announcement, effective from October 22, comes ahead of peak travel as both countries look forward to Christmas and the festive season.According to VFS Global, customers applying for a UK visa will be directed to VFS Global to book an appointment to complete their visa application and they will also have the option to choose additional services designed to make the application process easier.UK visa customers can now choose from a range of optional services offered by VFS Global to provide enhanced comfort and convenience. These include document upload assistance, Prime Time for application submission outside of business hours, SMS notifications, document checking service, and courier return of the passport once a decision has been made said VFS.It also said that they can submit their UK visa applications from the comfort and safety of their homes, offices or any other preferred location with their On Demand Mobile Visa service. VFS Globals Keep My Passport While Applying service allows customers to keep their passports once their application is submitted and biometrics have been enrolled. Customer will only need to re-submit their passport when a decision is reached,said the agency.Commenting on the launch of the new Centres, Alok Singhal, Head- Sub-Saharan Africa, VFS Global, said, they are excited to embark on this new journey with UK Visas and Immigration here in South Africa.We have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with UK Visas and Immigration since 2003 and look forward to now bringing travellers from South Africa our best-in-class services, said Singhal. The services can be booked in advance on https://apo-opa.co/4f4Yw1G or at the Visa Application Centre at the time of the appointment. These services are completely optional and have no bearing on the processing timeline and outcomes of visa applications.

 Checkers has recently been criticized for its alleged bias in hiring foreign nationals rather than locals for its Sixty60 delivery service.This claim has led to a related concern about the driving qualifications of the individuals working for Sixty60, many of whom may not actually be eligible to ride a motorbike in South Africa.Foreign nationals on delivery appsCheckers Sixty60 was launched in 2019 and has quickly become the most popular grocery delivery app in South Africa with more than 5 million downloads.However, the reputed South African X (formerly Twitter) account Goolam (@goolammv) recently accused Sixty60 of using skewed hiring practices that favour foreigners over locals.Goolam has gained a reputation for the accuracy of sensitive information it publishes relating to South African politics and business practices, according to MyBroadband.The account alleged that 9,900 of the 9,987 jobs created by Checkers Sixty60 are filled by foreigners, which works out to 99.1% of the total workforce.It must be clarified that Shoprite (Checkers parent company) outsources all of the platforms logistics to its partner Pingo, which is a joint venture between Shoprite and RTT Logistics.Under South African labour law, the Department of Home Affairs is authorized to issue special permits on foreign employment for certain companies which require critical skills that might not be easy to come by among locals.It would therefore be highly unusual for the vast majority of a local companys workforce to be made up of foreign nationals, especially since delivery drivers do not require a rare skillset.TopAuto reached out to Shoprite, Pingo, and RTT to allow for comment on Checkers Sixty60 employment policies, but none of the stakeholders responded by the time of publication.Goolam also claimed that a high number of Sixty60 foreign nationals were in the country illegally, which is not an accusation without precedent.In May 2023, the Department of Labour apprehended eight illegal foreigners working for the delivery app at a store in the Western Cape, as reported by News24.Unqualified driversAn issue related to the alleged high number of foreigners on Sixty60 is that many drivers may not actually be qualified to operate on South African roads.According to Hein Jonker, the founder of the Motorcycle Safety Institute of South Africa, many of these riders may be using a licence that does not guarantee they know how to use a motorcycle.In other parts of Africa, a driverlicence for a car will cover all classes of vehicles below it, including a scooter or motorbike.This means that individuals with a car licence may not have passed a motorcycle exam or received any relevant training, but are still technically allowed to drive one.They come to this country with a licence that includes a motorcycle licence, and off they go, said Jonker.

The South African government has sought to reassure holders of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP) regarding the newly implemented points-based system for critical skills and general work visas, addressing fears that the changes were designed to exclude them from the immigration process.Concerns had been raised among ZEP holders that the points-based system could bar them from obtaining mainstream visas, thus undermining the unique status of their permits and similar programs such as the Lesotho Special Dispensation. Gabriel Shumba, legal director at Global Immigration and Legal Consultancy, confirmed that ZEP holders were anxious about potentially losing their status.`The fear that was evident from ZEP holders was that the point system would exclude most of them and bar them from obtaining mainstream visas, thus undermining the special aspect of the ZEP and the Lesotho Special Dispensation,` Shumba stated.However, the South African Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber issued a ministerial immigration directive on Friday to quell these concerns. He emphasized that the Immigration Act mandates the Department of Home Affairs to foster an environment conducive to economic growth by facilitating the employment of necessary foreign labor and allowing entry for exceptionally skilled individuals.Schreiber clarified that any critical skills or general work visas issued before the directive`s signature would remain valid under their existing terms. Additionally, he noted that applications for visa extensions, renewals, or changes in conditions submitted after the notice on the points-based system would be evaluated according to the new criteria.`The partial waiver of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) evaluation certificate is applicable only to critical skills work visas and general work visa applications submitted after the directive was signed,` he said.Importantly, Schreiber reassured ZEP holders that the points-based system would not apply to them if they had applied for or were in the process of applying for mainstream critical skills or general work visas. These applications would continue to be processed based on the special dispensation`s terms.Currently, there are approximately 176,000 ZEP holders who have established lives in South Africa, making the government`s assurances crucial for their ongoing residency and employment stability.

The operation led by Home Affairs and supported by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and metro police, focused on verifying the legal status of foreign nationals residing in Durban. The crackdown forms part of a broader national initiative to address unlawful immigration and tighten security measures at a time when the government has vowed to control undocumented migration.Home Affairs Minister praised the effort, noting that it reflects the department commitment to enforcing South African immigration laws. We are determined to ensure that our laws are upheld and that those who reside in our country do so legally he said.According to SAPS spokesperson Col. Thembeka Mbele, the raid was carefully planned following intelligence reports and surveillance of suspected hot spots across Durban. Our officers conducted extensive searches and checked identification documents to verify the legal status of foreign nationals Mbele stated. Those who could not produce valid documentation were immediately taken into custody and will face immigration proceedings.Several foreign nationals were detained on-site and will remain in custody while their cases are processed. The Department of Home Affairs confirmed that those without proper documentation will face deportation, while individuals found to have falsified documents could face additional criminal charges.The operation drew mixed reactions from Durban residents with some lauding the authorities` commitment to enforcing immigration laws and others expressing concerns over potential human rights issues. Local community activist Thandiwe Mkhize voiced support for the operation stating Its important for authorities to monitor undocumented migration, as it affects local employment and access to resources. Conversely, immigrant advocacy groups have raised concerns about potential profiling and mistreatment, calling for transparency in the handling of those detained.Legal experts believe the operation highlights the need for South Africa to balance national security with the protection of human rights. While it`s important to uphold immigration laws, it is equally essential to ensure that all detainees are treated fairly and humanely noted immigration lawyer Musa Ndlovu.With immigration reform being a focal point in recent government policy, the Home Affairs department has committed to intensifying operations across the country. As Durbans case progresses, authorities plan to conduct similar operations in other cities, reiterating that those found to be living in South Africa without the necessary documentation will face legal consequences.