A business visa may be issued by the Department of Home Affairs to a foreigner intending to establish or invest in a business in South Africa in which he or she may be employed, and to members of such foreigners’ immediate family providing that certain requirements have been met.

The Act calls for investment of R5,0 million in a business and you need to make sure you employ 60% South African citizens or permanent residents to get both a temporary and permanent business visa, you can get these visas with less capital investment - sometimes for as low as R600,000 investment using our expert team at SA Migration.

Many businesses do not require a capital investment as large as R5 million and in certain cases, you are allowed to reduce this amount and commit to a smaller investment if your business falls within the certain industries. The following businesses to be in the national interest, and therefore qualifying for reduction or waiver of the capitalisation requirements as determined to be in the national interest in relation to a Business Visa: Many of these business owners do not have the required investment amounts. If this is the case and the business falls in line with one of the following industries, a capital waiver can be requested. This would mean a reduction in the required investment amount.

The industries are:

(a) Agro-processing

• Fisheries and aquaculture i.e. freshwater aquaculture and marine culture
• Food processing in the milling and baking industries
• Beverages viz. fruit juices and the local beneficiation, packaging and export of indigenous teas
• High value natural fibres viz., organic cotton and downstream mohair production
• High value organic food for the local and export market
• Biofuels production viz. bioethanol and biogas
• oils: tea extracts, including buchu, honeybush: and other oil derivatives (avocado, amarula etc.)
• Diversification / beneficiation of biomass sources i.e. sugar, maize

(b) Business Process Outsourcing and IT Enabled Services

• Call centers
• Back Office Processing
• Shared Corporate Services
• Enterprise solutions e.g. fleet management and asset management
• Legal process outsourcing

(c) Capital / Transport equipment, metals and electrical machinery and apparatus

• Basic iron and steel
• Basic precious and non-ferrous metals
• Casting of metals
• Other fabricated metal products: metalwork service activities
• General purpose machinery
• Tooling manufacturing
• Foundries
• White goods and associated components
• Electric motors, generators and transformers
• Electricity distribution and control apparatus
• Insulated wire and cable
• Accumulators, primary cells and primary batteries

(d) Electro Technical

• Advanced telecommunications
• Software development
• Software and mobile applications
• Smart metering
• Embedded software
• Radio frequency identifications
• Digital TV and Set Top Boxes due to migration to full digital television
• Process control, measurement and instrumentation
• Security and monitoring solutions
• Financial software
• Manufacturing sensors

(e) Textile, Clothing and Leather

• Spinning, weaving and finishing of textiles
• Knitted and crocheted fabrics and articles
• Wearing apparel except fur apparel
• Dressing and dying of fur
• Leather skins and hides beneficiation

(f) Consumer goods

• White goods and associated components

(g) Boatbuilding

• Boatbuilding and associated services industry
• Engines and engine systems
• Marine equipment and accessories

(h) Pulp, paper and Furniture

• Manufacture of paper products: publishing, printing and reproduction
• Manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials
• Paper and paper products and furniture
• Manufacture of wood and products of wood and cork

(i) Automotives and Components

• engines, radiators, filters and components thereof
• air conditioners / climate control systems
• alarms and Tracking devices
• axles, transmission shafts
• body parts and panels
• catalytic converters, silencers and exhaust systems and components
• wiring harnesses, instrument panels vehicle interiors, electronic drive train components,
• lighting equipment
• seats and parts thereof, seatbelts, leather covers
• suspension and shock absorbers, springs and parts thereof
• steering wheels, columns and boxes
• ignition, starting equipment, gauges and instrument parts

(J) Green Economy Industries

(jj) Power generation:

• Nuclear Build Programmer i.e. joint ventures, consortiums and the establishment of new companies to grow South Africa's nuclear manufacturing capability and nuclear supply industry to supply into the nuclear build programme
• Independent power generation, energy infrastructure and alternative energy

(jjj) Renewable Energy:

• Onshore wind power - manufacture of turbines/blades
• Solar PV and Concentrated Solar Power manufacture/assembly
• Biomass
• Small hydro
• Lowering greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites
• Energy efficiency and energy saving industries
• Solar water heaters
• Waste Management and Recycling
• Reducing landfill

(k) Advanced Manufacturing

• Nano-materials
• High performance materials based on natural resources (advanced bio-composites
• Advanced materials, polymers and composites
• Medical devices, diagnostics and composites
• Space e.g. satellite manufacturers etc. and astronomy e.g. SKA, telescopes, dishes etc.
• Composites (intelligent textiles used in medical, building and construction industries)
• Continuous fibre reinforced thermoform composites
• Biochemical and biologics for applications in agriculture, industry and health/medical sectors
• Electricity demand Site Management Solutions to improve electricity efficiency usage
• Lasers and laser-based additive manufacturing various applications
• Advanced Robotics Mobile Intelligent Autonomous Systems
• Applications in the mining industry, data collection and analysis
• Bio - manufacturing - Biochemical and biologics for applications in agriculture, industry and health/medical.
• Fuel cells and Technology

(l) Tourism infrastructure

• Accommodation - hotels, boutique hotels, lodges and resorts
• urban integrated tourism/ entertainment precincts
• adventure, - eco-, sport-, conference- and cultural tourism
• infrastructure developments
• leisure complexes and world class golf courses
• harbour and waterfront developments
• trans frontier conservations areas
• Tourism transport - aviation, rail, cruise liners etc.
• green building and green technologies for tourism
• attractions and activity - based tourism.
• museums and heritage

(m) Chemicals, plastic fabrication and pharmaceuticals

• basic chemicals
• water treatment chemical products
• man-made fibres
• plastic products: polypropylene and polyvinculchloride
• medical (drips and syringes), manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredient
• (APIs) for key anti-retrovirals (ARVs)
• Manufacture of reagents for AIDS/HIV diagnostics
• Production of vaccines and biological medicines

(n) Creative and Design Industry

• Film studios, treaty film co-production ventures, distribution infrastructure
• Servicing of foreign productions
• Production of film and documentaries, commercials, stills photography and
• Multi-media
• Post-production
• Design
• Jewellery manufacturing and design
• Fashion design

(o) Oil and Gas

• Maintenance ship and rig repair
• Fabrication - equipment and specialised components
• Specialised services - training and accreditation
• Specialised services - non-descriptive testing, inspection services, SHEQ services
• Exploration - technical services: seismic surveys, logging, environmental impact assessments, etc.
• Exploration - offshore
• Exploration - onshore shale gas
• Exploration - onshore coal bed methane and underground coal gasification
• Infrastructure - refineries (Oil and GTL)
• Infrastructure - terminals LPG/LNG import, storage and distribution
• Infrastructure - ports and associated infrastructure
• Infrastructure - storage
• Logistics - pipeline

(p) Mineral beneficiation

• Downstream processing and value addition

(q) Infrastructure Development

(r) ICT

• Geoamatics and Digital media
• Wireless and Telecom
• Electronics
• IT
• Software Development
• Advanced programming

List of undesirable Business in South Africa;

• Businesses that import second hand motor vehicles into the Republic of South Africa for the purpose of exporting to other markets outside the Republic of South Africa
• The exotic entertainment industry
• Security Industry

Our team of professionals at SA Migration International will assist you and help you to obtain your business visa for you.

South Africa is going through a very exciting stage at the moment and there is lots of opportunity to be involved in this emerging economy and the government welcomes anyone wishing to invest and create employment. Especially for small business owners, the markets are extremely lucrative and the government welcomes anyone who wants to invest.

South African citizens in the UK, with passports that are expiring, have inundated SAPeople with desperate messages after saying they have been unable to get hold of anybody at the SA Embassy in London for months. Phones have gone unanswered. Offices have been closed.

And since around 12 August, the website no longer exists. We therefore contacted South Africa’s *High Commissioner to the UK, Nomatemba Tambo* to get some vital answers for South Africans in the UK…

*1. What can South Africans in the UK do who urgently need their passports renewed?*

An appointment is required to lodge passports applications. /(Please see the exact procedure, as provided by the High Commissioner, below.)

*2. Is there any plan to at least stamp their current passports with an extension, exactly like is being done in SA for foreign nationals’ visas?*

There is no directive in this regard.

*3. When will the website be back up?*

When the problems have been resolved.

*4. When will the office be working again?*

The office is open, clients are attended to by appointment. Postal applications are also accepted.

*5. Why has it taken so long? Are there problems? Are things changing?*

The office needs to be Covid 19 secure for officials and applicants.

*6. Who can these desperate South Africans get in touch with which email address, which phone number?*

For Civic Services: London.Civic@dirco.gov.za

<mailto:London.Civic@dirco.gov.za>

For Immigration: London.Visa@dirco.gov.za <mailto:London.Visa@dirco.gov.za>

Switchboard number *15h00-17h00*: 0207 925 8900

*Services at 15 Whitehall (Home Affairs) – Procedure you should Follow*

*Services at 15 Whitehall (Home Affairs) are now rendered strictly by appointment. *

Please follow the steps below:

*Step No 1:* Request application forms by sending an A4 Self-addressed pre-paid (1st class Large stamp) envelope (per applicant) with a note requesting forms. The note must state:

* Type of service required (e.g. Adult passport or ID or Birth

Registration)

* Date of birth

Forms and guidelines will be posted to you within 5 working days of receiving the request.

NB: Royal Mail: If the postage stamp on the envelope is insufficient or the envelope is the wrong size, the forms will NOT be mailed to you.

*Step No 2:* Complete all forms received and prepare your supporting documents per guidelines received.

*Step No 3:* *Send your request for an appointment at:

Civic.appointments@dirco.gov.za

<mailto:Civic.appointments@dirco.gov.za>, quoting your form’s reference number. For forms received without reference please provide DHA 9 or DHA

24 unique bar code number. The request must include Full names and ID number of the applicant as well as the type of Service required. *

Please do not request an appointment if you are NOT ready to lodge / submit your application.

Confirmation for your appointment will be communicated to you within 2 working days from date of receipt of your requests.

*POSTAL APPLICATIONS*

Please follow Step No 1 & 2 and post the application.

*PASSPORT COLLECTION*

Passport collections are strictly from 1400 to 1500 hours Monday to Friday, except on Public holidays. No other services will be rendered during the time allocated for passport collections.

No application forms will be handed out.

In order to minimise the number of people visiting our office, and to keep everyone safe, we encourage postal applications where possible.

*Address*

South African High Commision

15 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2DD

www.samigration.com

The Department of Home Affairs and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) faced criticism from the parliamentary portfolio committee on Home Affairs in a meeting on Tuesday 25 August.

The committee was unanimously critical of the delay in concluding an investigation into missing “master files” for tender that involved migrating data on the Home Affairs National Identification System (HANIS) to a new Automated Biometric Information System (ABIS).

This tender was awarded by Sita to EOH in 2017 and was worth R409 million.

Speaking during the parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday, Sita said that EOH had wanted to hand the contract over to a subcontractor, a request which the agency would not accept as it was irregular.

The committee also lambasted Sita for losing the tender’s master file, stating that it is concerning that the state’s custodian for technology could misplace a document this crucial to affirming the legitimacy of a contract.

It noted that the Department of Home Affairs only appointed an audit firm to investigate the EOH tender in May 2020, stating that this delay was unfortunate.

“We find the delay unfortunate in the context that the committee had made recommendations for the urgent conclusion of the matter,” committee chairperson Bongani Bongo said.

“The fact that the Department of Home Affairs has only in May 2020 appointed SAB&T audit firm to investigate the entire tender process is unsatisfactory in the context that it will delay the conclusion of the investigation and perpetuate irregular expenditure around the contract.”

Patience running thin

The committee noted that the loss of the master file by Sita has led to an erosion of its legitimacy, adding that it believes it has been accommodating to both Sita and the Department of Home Affairs and the assurances from both that the investigation should be concluded.

“We are in agreement that the matter must be dealt with urgently and those that are found to be in the wrong are brought to book,” Bongo said.

The committee added that while it welcomes the reform of control measures of its supply chain management, its “patience for the conclusion of this matter has lapsed”.

It has subsequently stated that the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies, and Sita must give the committee clear progress in finalising the matter by the first week of October 2020.

“Furthermore, the committee has called for enhanced collaboration between the Department of Home Affairs and Department of Communications and Digital Technologies in finalising the investigation,” it said.

According to a report by EWN, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told the committee that he would not let this issue go.

“We can’t let this matter slip through our fingers, we can’t let it go,” he said.

“I am as angry as members here because I am now being dragged in front of this committee to try and answer questions about the deeds of other people.”

The report noted that Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was unable to attend the meeting.

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway will reopen to domestic tourists from September 1.

MD, Wahida Parker, said the cableway would operate between 08h00 and 15h00 daily.

“Our goal is to ensure that every visitor has a world-class experience when enjoying the heritage and beauty of Table Mountain. We have taken every step to ensure that the health and safety of our visitors and staff remain our top priority,” said Parker.

Health and safety measures include a limit of 26 people plus the cabin master in the cable cars to ensure social distancing, deep cleaning of the cabins every 24 hours and sanitising after every ride. Guests will be required to wear masks and cashless transactions will be encouraged

ITWeb Security Summit 2020 -  24 Aug 2020

Africa has become the new hunting ground for cyber criminals and fraudsters looking to exploit user vulnerabilities.

2019 KnowBe4 African Report found that Africa is increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks. The report highlighted how vulnerable users were when it came to recognising cyber threats and managing their risk profiles. In 2020, Accenture released a report entitled: ‘Insight into the Cyberthreat Landscape in South Africa’ that revealed there are around 577 attempted malware attacks every hour. Cyber crime has turned towards Africa and is putting its people and organisations at risk.

“With cyber crime shifting its attention towards emerging economies and with Africa’s Internet penetration about to double to one billion Internet users by 2022, the African continent has become an attractive target for cyber crime,” says Anna Collard, Managing Director of KnowBe4 Africa. “A lot of these users will be connecting for the first time and will have very little awareness of the risks.”

And the risks are extensive. The Accenture report pointed out that in 2019, many of the attacks were successful, particularly against well-known organisations and service utilities. This draws a picture of a worrying trend that can fundamentally affect the lives and livelihoods of people on the continent.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the most financial transactions happening via mobile devices,” says Collard. “This is another reason why crime is paying attention. If users aren’t aware of the risks or don’t realise that their mobile devices put them at risk, then they are open to fraud and attack.”

ITWeb Security Summit 2020

Many people still think that mobile devices aren’t vulnerable to attack. They don’t realise that fake links, phishing e-mails, scams and malware are as easily perpetrated on a mobile device as they are on a PC. In fact, many cyber criminals use fake links and phishing messages to catch people who are unaware on WhatsApp or SMS. People are often more inclined to believe that a SMS or WhatsApp message is real and are lured into handing over important personal information using these channels.

“The problem is that many people can’t protect themselves because they don’t realise the extent of the threat or how to identify it,” says Collard. “They think they can – our survey found that around 55% of respondents believed they could identify a security threat and yet they gave away personal information or fell prey to scams. There is a desperate need for more education around cyber crime, how to identify it, and the methods that scammers use.”

The continent is lagging on security legislation and education, and is lacking security professionals who can support both business and government in refining their security postures and approaches.

“The high degree of digitisation, combined with the increase in mobile malware and sophistication of social engineering attacks, makes people more vulnerable than ever,” says Collard.

Training is essential in minimising risk. If people understand the processes and methods used by cyber criminals, they are more likely to identify them and to avoid making unnecessary mistakes.