Home Affairs wins big in court: ZEP Zimbabweans CAN be deported…

The South African – 04 July 2022

View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans could be sent back over the border, in just six months’ time – Photo: Chris Robert / Flickr

Home Affairs have welcomed the withdrawal of an application to challenge a controversial ZEP policy being pursued by the ministry. On Friday, it was confirmed that a legal attempt stop over 178 000 Zimbabweans had fallen flat – giving Minister Aaron Motsoaledi a huge boost.

What is the ZEP? Home Affairs in huge court victory

The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) was given to tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who fled the country over a decade ago. The deteriorating economic and political situation back in 2008 forced many residents across the border to flee to South Africa.

They were welcomed in under the special ZEP route. However, Aaron Motsoaledi is hellbent on repealing this permit, and wants all Zimbabweans on these visas to reapply for residency through Home Affairs. Needless to say, this has caused an almighty stir.

Protests and criticism have been rife since the policy was announced earlier this year. Zimbabweans were given a grace period of 12 months to get their paperwork in order. Otherwise, by the start of 2023, they could be deported for remaining in Mzansi illegally.

Zimbabweans on ZEP visa ‘face deportation’

There will no doubt be more barriers for Motsoaledi and Home Affairs to come. But, for the meantime, another obstacle has been cleared, and the department will continue to try and enforce a policy that is rooted in contentiousness.

“The Department of Home Affairs welcomes the withdrawal of the application filed in court by African Amity NPC and Zimbabwe Permit Holders Association under case no. 51735/21 on 14 June 2022.” 

“The matter involved the challenge in court of the decision of the Minister of Home Affairs not to extend the exemptions granted to Zimbabweans. Sense seems to have prevailed – and the department’s doors are always open for constructive engagement with Zimbabwean nationals.”

Statement from Home Affairs

[READ] Press statement on the withdrawal of the application launched in the Gauteng division, Pretoria, in connection with the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit — HomeAffairsSA 🇿🇦 (@HomeAffairsSA) July 1, 2022

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4 projects that government says will boost South Africa’s economy

SA News 04 July 2022

 

Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, says Cabinet has welcomed the fruition of major investments and achievements made by local and international companies in the country.

He was on Thursday briefing media on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday.

“South Africa welcomes investments into our country and is committed to creating favourable conditions for inclusive growth and transformation of the economy,” Gungubele said.

Some investments and economic boosts received include:

1. The opening of the R800 million Corobrik state-of-the-art brick manufacturing plant in Driefontein, Gauteng. The company is expected to invest a further R200 million to expand its KwaZulu-Natal based concrete facility.
2. Mining giant Anglo American’s launch of a hydrogen-powered truck, which is expected to give a significant boost to the country’s green hydrogen economic hopes.
3. Irish food company, the Kerry Group, opened a R650 million plant in KwaZulu-Natal.
4. The launch of the new locally manufactured Isuzu D-Max bakkie, which forms part of the company’s R1.2 billion investment commitment (made in 2019) to the country.

“Corobrik is one of several local businesses that have responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call on South African and international enterprises to invest in this country.

“Cabinet noted that the fledgling hydrogen economy has been given a boost with the launch of a hydrogen-powered truck by Anglo American. The hydrogen economy has been identified as a strategic priority for our country’s green economy and to drive economic growth and employment.

“The Kerry Group has had a presence in South Africa since 2011 and their further investment is a sign that South Africa remains an investment destination of choice,” he said.

Gungubele said, in particular, the launch of Isuzu’s new flagship bakkie is a boon for the country’s auto-manufacturing industry.

“The new generation D-MAX crowns Isuzu’s commitment to South Africa and is one of the successes achieved under the Automotive Production Development Programme (APDP). The APDP is a production incentive scheme for the motor industry aimed at promoting production volumes in the specified motor vehicle industry, promoting added value in the automotive component industry, thus creating employment across the automotive value chain.

“Approximately R2.8 billion will be generated in local content production value through the lifecycle of the APDP. The investment will secure more than 1 000 direct jobs at the plant and indirectly employ 24 000 people, contributing significantly to community upliftment in the region,” Gungubele said.

Turning to the Investing in African Mining Indaba held in Cape Town this week, Gungubele said the platform is one of the biggest for engagement and collaboration for all stakeholders in the industry.

“Cabinet is confident that the mining indaba will assist in promoting South Africa as an investment destination of choice,” he said.

International and regional relations

Gungubele said Cabinet reflected on several engagements President Ramaphosa has had with leaders both on the continent and other parts of the world – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“Cabinet also welcomed President Ramaphosa’s recent interactions with President Joe Biden of the United States, President Emmanuel Macron of France and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia on different platforms.

“These engagements allowed the President to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between South Africa and partner States on key regional and international issues, including finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine,” he said.

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Warning of more power shortfalls as PM holds crisis meeting

9 News – 04 July 2022

 

There are warnings of further power shortages across eastern Australia today as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese holds an emergency meeting to solve the energy crisis.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has warned Queensland should expect another minor shortage between 5pm and 10.30pm.

But the Queensland government has assured residents today that the state has extra supply there, if it needs it, particularly when peak demand kicks in tonight.

 

The energy regulator has warned of more power shortfalls through today as the energy crisis continues. (AAP) Victoria and New South Wales should also expect shortfalls in the system later today, the AEMO said.

 

The regulator urged NSW residents, particularly Sydneysiders, to limit energy usage.

"To minimise the stress on the system, AEMO is requesting consumers in New South Wales to temporarily reduce their energy usage, where safe to do so," the regulator tweeted last night.

 

At a press conference alongside Albanese today, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the greatest pressure would come for NSW between 6pm and 8pm AEST.

"AEMO and (NSW Treasurer Matt Kean) have asked people (that) nothing essential should be turned off, nothing that is necessary for heating. But if you have a choice about when to run certain items, don't run them from 6pm to 8pm," he said.

He said he was confident blackouts would still be avoided.

There are also concerns South Australia may experience shortages. The state government is threatening to stop the export of energy out of the state, if blackouts occur.

 

Albanese and Bowen will meet with industry leaders later today in an attempt to solve the crisis.

Bowen said New South Wales is the state that's looking the tightest today when it comes to electricity supply.

"At its heart it's a problem caused by coal-fired power station closures and outages," he said.

"We need the new investment."

The states affected by Australia's energy crisis. (Nine)

He backed the energy regulator taking control of the market.

"It wouldn't be a universally popular move," Bowen said.

"It puts consumers first."

Albanese said renewables remained the long-term solution, lambasting previous governments for putting politics ahead of policy.

"The cheapest form of new energy is clean energy, that has been where investment is going but it hasn't been feeding into the grid because the transmission system isn't a 21st century one," he said.

"Meanwhile, the ageing coal-fired power stations have been more susceptible to outages and disruption because they are old. We know that is the case."

Yesterday the AEMO halted the electricity market in a drastic intervention as the nation's power supply faces "very challenging times".

 

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Eight million Australians urged to turn off lights

BBC – 04 July 2022

Australia's energy minister has urged households in New South Wales - a state that includes the country's biggest city Sydney - to switch off their lights in the face of an energy crisis.

Chris Bowen says people should not use electricity for two hours every evening if they "have a choice".

However, he added he was "confident" that blackouts could be avoided.

It comes after Australia's main wholesale electricity market was suspended because of a surge in prices.

Mr Bowen asked people living in New South Wales to conserve as much power as possible.

"If you have a choice about when to run certain items, don't run them from 6 to 8 [in the evening]," he said during a televised media conference in Canberra.

Why is there a crisis?

Australia is one of the world's biggest exporters of coal and liquefied natural gas but has been struggling with a power crisis since last month. Three quarters of the country's electricity is still generated using coal. It has long been accused of not doing enough to cut its emissions by investing in renewables.

In recent weeks, Australia has felt the impact of disruptions to coal supplies, outages at several coal-fired power plants and soaring global energy prices.

Flooding earlier this year hit some coal mines in New South Wales and Queensland, while technical issues have cut production at two mines that supply the market's biggest coal-fired station in New South Wales.

Around a quarter of Australia's coal-fired electricity generating capacity is currently out of service due to unexpected outages and scheduled maintenance.

Some electricity producers have seen their costs soar as global coal and gas prices have jumped due to sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, demand for energy has jumped amid a cold snap and as Australia's economy opens up after Covid-19 restrictions were eased.

All of this has helped drive up power prices on the wholesale market to above the A$300 (£173; $210) per megawatt hour price cap set by the market's regulator, the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo).

However, that cap was below the cost of production for several generators, who decided to withhold capacity.

On Wednesday, Aemo took the unprecedented step of suspending the market and said it would set prices directly and compensate generators for the shortfall.

It also asked consumers in New South Wales to "temporarily reduce their energy usage".

What happens next?

Aemo has not given a timeline on when the suspension would be lifted. It said in a statement, "The price cap will remain until cumulative wholesale electricity prices fall below the cumulative price threshold."

"Aemo, as the national power system operator, will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates should conditions change," it added.

On Thursday, Australia's biggest electricity producer AGL Energy said it expected to be able to supply more power to businesses and consumers in the coming days.

It has three units that have been out of service at its coal-fired plant in Bayswater, New South Wales.

They are among several planned and unplanned outages that have helped cause the power crisis.

AGL said that one of the units should return to service on Thursday, while another will come back online by Saturday.

Meanwhile, Australia's new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the crisis would be raised at a meeting with state premiers which starts on Thursday.

Lynne Chester, an energy expert from the University of Sydney, told the BBC that policymakers have been aware of the risks of ageing generators for decades.

"The sector's regulators and policy makers have ignored the escalating capacity constraints of aging generation assets, fired by fossil fuels, that dominate the sector," Prof Chester said

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Illegal and Fraudulent documents - Unannounced immigration inspections conducted in South Africa

 

SA Migration – 04/07/2022

 

 

Sa Migration  recently sent out a news alert. The purpose of the alert? To share the news that The Department of Home Affairs are carrying out immigration raids on businesses, in search of employers who are violating immigration laws.

 

What happened?

 

According to Sa Migration , many foreign workers were arrested and a restaurant / factory managers , owners of businesses who employed foreigners illegally will be charged with violating the South African Immigration Act.

How did the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) know about these violations happening?

The DHA confirmed to Sa Migration  that the raids took place in response to complaints received from members of the public regarding suspected illegal working. The DHA also said it expects more arrests to follow as the investigation continues.

The moral of the story

The DHA’s promise to pay random, unannounced visits to businesses are not idle threats. The Department could visit your office or worksite at any time and you’ll be found in contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act if the DHA find that you are illegally employing foreign workers.

Instead of being caught off-guard, ensure that your foreign employees hold valid visas at all times. Also, that you only employ foreigners with valid and correct visas.

If you need help determining whether your foreign workers are employed legally, you can ask us for a free employee audit. Our team will come to you, do the audit and then report back plus advise on any necessary steps to take.

 

Getting an audit done demands no effort or risk from your side. However, you do risk jail time or hefty fines if you don’t know the legal status of your employees.

Prefer the former over the latter? Then call us today on +27 (0) 82 373 8415 and ascertain the legal status of your foreign employees.

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