bring her back to South Africa  ?

The short answer

You can contact these organisations.

The whole question

My daughter was born in South Africa and her father took her to Nigeria to visit his family while she was still an infant. He was a Nigerian national and I’m a South African citizen, but we never got married. He passed away without bringing her back to me in South Africa. She is now 15 years old and luckily through social media, we managed to contact each other. But she faces abuse from her late father’s sisters in Nigeria. How can I bring my child back to South Africa?  

The long answer

You must be very relieved that you and your daughter have finally been able to contact each other through social media after searching for each other for a long time.

First, your daughter is a South African citizen since you are South African even though her father was Nigerian. She remains a South African citizen unless she became a Nigerian citizen while living with her father, and the Retention of South African Citizenship through the Department of Home Affairs was not applied for, before she became a Nigerian citizen.

If your daughter’s birth was registered, you should have a birth certificate and ID number for her. If her birth was not registered, you can apply for a late birth registration through Home Affairs, and you would need to bring whatever documents you have like a clinic card or certificate as proof of birth at a hospital or clinic.

Since dealing with Home Affairs is mostly very difficult and takes a very long time, you could contact the following organisations for advice and help on how best to proceed

The short answer

We suggest either De Saude Attorneys or Intergate Immigration.

The whole question

I'm hoping you can advise me on the following situation.

My mother passed away in 2016 in another country. She was a citizen of that country and South Africa.

Her other country death certificate has been issued showing her date of birth to be slightly different from her South African one. We need her South African death certificate to be issued by Home Affairs so we can wind up her estate. We were asked by Home Affairs to translate all the other country's documents and resubmit them. We did this but Home affairs still refuses to issue the death certificate. It has been over three years of back and forth? We are at our wits end. What can we do?

Can you refer us to a firm that specialises in this?

The long answer

Thank you for your email asking for a reference to a firm specialising in dealing with Home Affairs, who are refusing to issue a death certificate for your mother due to her birth certificate in her other country reflecting a different birth date from the one on her South African ID.

It must be deeply frustrating, and indeed, infuriating, for your family, to be confronted with Home Affairs’ ongoing refusal to issue the death certificate after you have submitted further information from the other country confirming her date of birth. That it has taken three years of trying is disgraceful, but sadly, not at all unusual when dealing with Home Affairs.

Home Affairs has been taken to court a number of times over the last few years both for its unreasonable delay in processing applications and wrongful refusal of applications. In March  of this year, it lost yet another appeal when the Supreme Court of Appeal called it “unconscionable...deliberately obstructive and dilatory”

 

In a symbolically important first step towards the digital transformation of the Department, the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, has instituted a new rule to deliver the outcomes of visa waiver applications digitally via email to applicants. In the first phase of the rollout of this process, the outcome of waiver applications for holders of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs) will be sent digitally, effective immediately. Over time, this digital-first approach will be extended to other applicants in the visa and permit regime.

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 efficiency of services by transforming Home Affairs into a digital-first Department. This simple embrace of a digital-first approach to processing waivers has also significantly accelerated our work to clear the permitting backlog that dates back a decade, which started out at over 306 000 unprocessed applications. Through this change, we have been able to effectively process 60 582 outstanding ZEP waiver applications, many of which date back to 2022. Another 22 529 ZEP waiver applications are set to be processed soon, further reducing the backlog and freeing up valuable resources in a department that has been financially gutted to the point of only having 40% of the staff resources. This step illustrates our absolute determination to use technology to do more with the little we have.”, said Minister Schreiber

Applicants who still prefer to collect hardcopies of ZEP waiver letters at branches will still be able to do so, the Department would like to ask applicants to not be doubtful when they receive an outcome digitally via email from the following official addresses:

• No-reply1.dhasa@vfshelpline.com

• No-reply2.dhasa@vfshelpline.com

• No-reply3.dhasa@vfshelpline.com

• No-reply4.dhasa@vfshelpline.com

• No-reply5.dhasa@vfshelpline.com

• No-reply6.dhasa@vfshelpline.com

George Moyo, a businessman and ANC activist, argues that not all foreign nationals are illegals. Those who are in the country legally should be treated with kindness and due respect. 

My name is George Dingizulu Moyo. I disagree with the notion that South Africans no longer want black foreign nationals. 

As an ordinary South African born and raised in Alexandra, I believe we should welcome everyone, regardless of race or nationality. 

However, for government administration purposes, I think it`s essential that everyone - black, yellow, or white - be registered when entering or leaving the country. Those who wish to work, become residents, or citizens should go through proper Home Affairs processes and obtain necessary qualifications. 

Although I was born in Alex, my father Jackson Ngoya Moyo was a  Zimbabwean from Plumtree. 

He arrived in South Africa in 1936 and was influenced by the African National Congress of Zimbabwe under the ANC Presidency of Joshua Nkomo and later was introduced to the ANC of South Africa by his country man Thomas Nkobi. 

Yes, Nkobi, who would later become treasurer general of the  ANC and a close confidant of Oliver Tambo, was Zimbabwean by birth. 

My father lived in Sophiatown and Alexandra, where we coexisted with people from various backgrounds - Mozambicans, Malawians, Batswana, Ba Sotho, Swazis, Coloureds, Indians, and whites. 

My mother is a South African from the Xaba family, related to the Radebe, Dhlamini, and Mthimkhulu clans. 

I was involved in the struggle against Apartheid and later worked at the ANC headquarters, Shell House, after the organization was unbanned. I registered and trademarked ANC and protected the image of Nelson Mandela . I headed the 1994 Election Merchandise Project. 

My cousin brother Dan Moyo was imprisoned on Robben Island, and his elder brother Koki was part of MK Special Ops, later became a Ltn. Colonel in VIP Presidential Protection Unit and Madiba`s bodyguard since 1991 and continued to serve for over 30 years. 

Our uncle Jayson Moyo in ZAPU and  Joe Modise of MK as a senior Commanders were responsible for the unity of MK and ZIPRA to fight side by side against Ian Smith and apartheid armed forces in Wankie and Sipholile in Zimbabwe. 

Alexandra has a rich history of intergenerational growth, with children of foreign nationals interconnected with South Africans. 

While acknowledging colonial borders, I believe we should embrace Ubuntu and treat each other with kindness and respect.

However, illegal immigrants should be addressed to bring order and focus on growing Africa together. 

I totally agree that the government must be hard on foreign illegals and clean up corruption in Home Affairs, and as South Africans, we must begin to take the eradication of any corruption seriously and assist our government. 

I want to counter the harmful narrative that African nationals are to be feared and hated.  

Not all foreigners are unauthorised, and many contribute positively to our society. Let`s work towards a more balanced perspective, recognising the complexity of migration and the value of our diversity.

Following Minister Leon Schreiber’s zero-tolerance directive, Home Affairs is clearing illegal immigrants from the streets in the Western Cape.
This success follows the deplorable actions of a South African diplomat in Dubai. He is accused of selling passports to UAE citizens and using his influence to get his son diplomatic benefits. And let’s not forget the on-going scandal of Chiddima Adetshina’s mother’s identity theft.
Now, IOL reports that the City of Cape Town has made inroads as Home Affairs removes illegal immigrants off the streets across multiple operations. This is according to statements by Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith, the man who’s remit includes tracking and removing undocumented persons.
HOME AFFAIRS REMOVES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Smith said last week that the Department of Home Affairs teamed up with local authorities for key operations. Following extensive tracing of suspected illegal immigrants, the teams descending on an area along the N1 between Paarden Eiland and Woodstock. Several informal structures had been erected believed to house undocumented immigrants. A week prior Home Affairs removed illegal immigrants from the area of District Six, too
“Home Affairs and the City has made good progress working together. Last week, we did a large operation in District Six and now we have conducted yet another big operation. We worked the entire length of the N1 highway close to the city. There are a lot of structures along the side of the road, most of which are occupied by illegal foreign nationals. 34 people were arrested yesterday for not having the relevant documentation or permits to be in the country,” explained Smith.
FACING DEPORTATION
A further 72 people were surveyed – 40 of them undocumented men and 32 women – and they now face deportation. Minister Schreiber has been vocal about a zero-tolerance approach to illegals. Likewise, he believes in deploying the latest digital technology at Home Affairs to protect national security
Corruption within the department’s ranks is rife and threatens the country’s safety. And undocumented persons living in the country will continue to go undetected until ‘wholesale digital transformation’ takes place within the department, said Schreiber. He says he is working tirelessly to revitalise the department.