The demand for property in the Karoo is growing – driven by buyers from Cape Town and Joburg

Business Insider | 24 Nov 2022

The Karoo has been attracting more buyers from big cities since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and the remote work trend, with most of these new arrivals coming from Cape Town and Johannesburg, according to Seeff Property Group.

The Klein Karoo's small-town charm and scenic beauty continue to entice those looking for an escape from the big city.

But it's no longer just older couples and retirees moving into the area. Younger families from big cities are heading to the Karoo in search of "a more wholesome family environment", said Ian Badenhorst, managing director for Seeff Country and Karoo. "Here, children can still play in the streets and ride their bicycles to school."

Retreating to the Karoo, with movement into towns like Oudtshoorn, Ladismith, Graaff-Reinet, Middelburg, and Calvinia has only strengthened since the onset of the pandemic, explained Badenhorst, with flexible work arrangements allowing professionals to seek a better work-life balance and affordably priced property.

Up to a quarter of buyers in Oudtshoorn over the past two years have been from large cities, according to Jan Verlinde, licensee for Seeff, with most coming from Cape Town and Johannesburg. This shows "strong demand from semigration buyers" who are especially fond of large family homes. Smallholdings around Oudtshoorn are also in demand, but there's not much stock available, added Verlinde.

Large family homes recently bought by big-city buyers ranged from R2 million to R3 million, which is high-end for Oudtshoorn.

"Why settle for a two-bedroomed apartment in a city when, for the same price, you can have a three-bedroomed home with a swimming pool in Oudtshoorn," said Verlinde.

Most new buyers in the area cite a lack of traffic and polluting factories as a major draw, along with the Karoo climate, safety, and abundant access to nature.

Semigration buyers have also boosted demand for rental properties because many choose to rent while they look around before buying. It's also benefited art and antique stores, boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, and guesthouses, added Verlinde. This, in turn, strengthens the economies of small Karoo towns.

www.samigration.co.za

Over 500 Foreigners Are Crying After Being Deported

News Hub Creator | 23 Nov 2022

Foreign nationals are trending all over social media after they were deported back to their country. It makes me happy to see our justice system dealing with the issues of illegal foreign nationals.

They're dealing harshly with them some of those foreign nationals were charged with a five years ban from entering South Africa, and they were crying as a result but at the end of the day, you cannot do as you please in our country.

This is only the beginning but at least we are now heading in the right direction the next step is to deal with other nations such as Zimbabweans, Nigerians as well as Somalians just to name a few.

Movements such as Operation Dudula are playing a huge role when it comes to dealing with the pandemic.

Some of them entered the country illegally I think we have to make arrests and they have to face a prison sentence before going back home.

Illegal foreign nationals can no longer do as they please in South Africa. It makes me happy to see the SAPS dealing with the pandemic as well as fixing the country.

The next step is to raid places like Hillbrow as well as Sunnyside, those two hijacked buildings are full of illegal foreign nationals. Some of those foreign nationals need to be given a lifetime ban in our country, to be honest with you.

www.samigration.com

President Cyril Ramaphosa meets King Charles in whirlwind tour of UK

News24 | 23 Nov 2022

King Charles hosted his first state visit since becoming British monarch on Tuesday, welcoming Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace, where the South African president invoked Nelson Mandela as he paid tribute to the close ties between the two countries.

Charles, 74, rolled out the traditional pomp and ceremony as Britain sought to bolster its relations with its biggest trading partner in Africa.

"South Africa, like the Commonwealth, has always been a part of my life. My mother often recalled her visit in 1947, the year before I was born, when, from Cape Town on her 21st birthday, she pledged her life to the service of the people of the Commonwealth," Charles said in a speech at the banquet held in the president's honour.

"It is therefore particularly moving and special that you are our guest on this, the first state visit we have hosted," he added.

Addressing lawmakers in parliament, Ramaphosa lauded the two nations' close ties, forged in the wake of a difficult legacy of colonialism and apartheid.

Ramaphosa said: "By pursuing these and other avenues for cooperation, I believe that we will define the relationship between South Africa and the United Kingdom in new and exciting ways."

Britain hopes the visit, which had been planned before the death of Queen Elizabeth in September, will strengthen trade and investment ties between the two nations, and show the importance of links with the Commonwealth of Nations, the international organisation that Charles now heads.

"This is a reinforcement of the strong bilateral relationship that we have with South Africa, a real opportunity to build on that close working relationship and discuss some of the issues that affect us all," British foreign minister James Cleverly told Reuters.

First state visit since 2019

Ramaphosa was officially greeted by Charles' eldest son and heir Prince William and his wife Kate at a central London hotel to mark the start of his two-day trip, the first state visit to the UK by a world leader since that of then-US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania in 2019.

The last state visit to Britain by a South African leader was made by President Jacob Zuma in 2010.

Gun salutes and a ceremonial welcome from the king and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, followed before a grand carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where the banquet is held.

Ramaphosa was scheduled to visit Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior and see the memorial stone for former South African president Nelson Mandela.

"The late Queen had the great pleasure of hosting Presidents Mandela, Mbeki and Zuma for State Visits to the United Kingdom, at all of which I was present," Charles said, adding that she had expressed her admiration to the country.

Ramaphosa said Britain had stood with South Africa to help free Mandela and end apartheid, and he now urged Britain to support the calls of lower income countries for a reformed global institutional order and climate justice.

"Let us rekindle the moral purpose of the global fight against apartheid to confront the discrimination, inequality and injustice that divides humanity and that stifles the progress of all," he said.

www.samigration.com

About 500 refugees are still living in wretched conditions in Cape Town camp

Five hundred people are still living at Paint City in Bellville, without proper sanitation.

They still want to be resettled in another country, but the UNHCR says there is little prospect of it happening.

The home affairs department, which is responsible for the camp, has not replied to our questions.

Three years ago in October 2019, refugees started a protest at the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cape Town and Pretoria. They demanded resettlement in a country other than South Africa.

After protracted protests, relocation to various camps and the Covid-19 pandemic, the UNHCR managed to reintegrate about 800 refugees back into communities and helped 70 with voluntary repatriation.

But about 500 refugees, including 200 children, remain at Paint City in Bellville. They still refuse to return to South African communities and cling to the dream of being relocated to another country.

They have been living without showers since 2020. They say there are water outages and, since the beginning of this month, they have no toilets at all.

They have resorted to makeshift bathrooms  wooden pallets placed on the ground and screened off with blankets. The men use a sandpit.

Food is prepared for the whole camp on an open fire.

Refugee leader Hafiz Mohammed said the last toilets were removed on 1 November.

There were initially 20 toilets and they were regularly serviced. These were reduced to 10 and not serviced. He said people now relieve themselves in plastic bags and dispose of it in bins.

Mohammed said that, initially, there were 20 showers, but these were removed in 2020.

Meals are prepared on an open fire for everyone. Refugees take turns making food. They say they eat once a day.

`Every week, we also experience water cuts for three days … We then go around the neighbourhood asking for water,` he said.

A Burundian asylum seeker, who delivered a baby three weeks ago, said: `Last week, I didn`t take a bath for three days, because we had no water. I am waiting for UNHCR to relocate us. I used to stay in Khayelitsha, running a restaurant. In 2019, they stole everything and burned down my container. I came here [to South Africa] 15 years ago and I am still an asylum seeker. My eldest child, 14, has never been to school. She has no birth certificate.`

Asked why the refugees persist with their demands, Mohammed told GroundUp: `UNHCR should not hide behind Home Affairs. It should come to carry its mandate to assist us to leave South Africa. Without a valid refugee status, you can`t find work, you can`t buy a house and open a bank account. We don`t want to stay in South Africa any more. We are saying enough is enough.

READ | Cape Town refugees in tents upset by eviction plans

`The only thing we want is for UNHCR to take us to a safe country, where our children can have a future. Anywhere in the world.`

Laura Padoan, spokesperson for the UNHCR, said the agency was no longer directly engaged on site, but refugees continued to access legal partners for advice on issues, such as documentation.

The women’s “bathroom” is screened off with blankets and there is a wooden pallet to stand on.

`The UN Refugee Agency is concerned for the welfare of the refugees and asylum seekers in Paint City and we are keen to see a solution to their situation as soon as possible.

`Resettlement to a third country is a very limited option for refugees worldwide, is subject to quotas offered by receiving countries, and is not offered on a group basis. UNHCR is not in a position to arrange transfers of people to other countries in the region; this would require refugees obtaining visas on an individual basis from the country they wish to travel to.

`We do not wish to see refugees, particularly the children, living in these unsanitary conditions, which is why we are urging refugees to either reintegrate into communities, or to take up the offer of voluntary repatriation [to their country of citizenship].`

The City of Cape Town referred our questions to the home affairs department, which has been responsible for the camp since its inception. Questions sent to the department a week ago have not been answered. We will add a response if and when it is received.

142 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Pretoria Bag 3 Months Jail Term and Immediate Deportation

News Hub Creator | 18 Nov 2022

The issue of immigration is now a huge topic all over the country and this will be attributed to the awareness created so far by members of operation dudula. The group has been on the news for quite sometime over the role they are playing in making sure that illegal immigrants are hunted down and returned to their home country.

The group have worked tediously by engaging in different protest around the country in a bid to compel government to look into our porous borders and other point of entry and address the lapses found in those places.

Meanwhile, we would recall that a joint team of South Africa Police Service Officers, South African Immigration and Department of Home Affairs raided some notorious apartments in Pretoria few days ago where they successfully captured 142 illegal immigrants residing and working in South Africa.

Report reaching our desk says that the 142 illegal foreigner arrested have been served with 3 months jail sentence and are facing immediate deportation after they have served 3 months in jail.

This is coming after a raid by SAPS and Home Affairs in one of their butcheries in Pretoria.

This is commendable and we advise the government to put mechanism in place that would ensure none of these offenders re-enter into South Africa.

www.samigration.com