Articles
Senior immigration officer slammed by Cape judges after Ethiopian asylum seeker attempts suicide
An Ethiopian asylum seeker, who does not speak English, claims he was duped by a senior immigration official into paying an admission of guilt fine when he thought he was paying for bail.Two Western Cape High Court judges have condemned the official`s `deplorable` behaviour, set aside the fine, and ordered the immigration official be taken off the case. Tsegaye Esyas claims Annelise van Dyk treated him like an animal which led to him attempt suicide while in police cells.
A senior immigration official has come under fire for her `deplorable` conduct in handling the case of an Ethiopian citizen who attempted to take his own life after being duped into confessing he was in South Africa illegally, according to GroundUp.
Western Cape High Court judges James Lekhuleni and Patricia Goliath set aside the admission of guilt fine paid by Tsegaye Esyas and ordered he be refunded the R1 000.
They referred the case back to the Paarl Magistrate`s Court to be heard by another magistrate `for him to have a fair hearing` with a competent interpreter, and ordered that immigration officer, Annelise van Dyk, be taken off the case.
`This kind of behaviour from a high-ranking government official is repugnant and objectionable to the expected tenets and attributes of a person in her position and to the Batho Pele principles,` the judges said.
Esyas launched the urgent application to set aside the admission of guilt fine he paid on 10 April this year.
The papers were served on the magistrate who first heard his case and Van Dyk, but they did not oppose the application, hence Esyas` version of events was unchallenged.
He arrived in South Africa earlier this year, fleeing his birth country because of political unrest.
Esyas came to seek asylum and to be with his two brothers and other family members, who were all duly documented.
In his affidavit, he explained his attempts to begin the process of obtaining his own documentation.
Esyas said the first time he was sent away because the system was offline.
He went back a few days later but was told only the first 24 asylum seekers were dealt with every day.
The following day Esyas slept on the pavement outside the offices to be part of the first 24. However, they were all turned away due to load shedding.
In the interim, he obtained work as a `till operator` at a shop.
Before Esyas could make it back to the immigration offices for the fourth time, he and his employer were arrested.
He appeared in court, but the case was postponed for about a week for an interpreter. When he appeared in court again on 10 April, there was still no interpreter.
Esyas said he could not understand anything that was happening, but the case seemed to be proceeding.
`Blatantly misled`
He added Van Dyk went outside the courtroom and approached his family, asking if they had money to pay bail, which his brother confirmed.
She then instructed his brother to remain outside the courtroom.
Later, his brother accompanied a police officer to the cash hall and paid R1 000, believing it was for bail.
However, when he returned to the courtroom with the receipt, he was told Van Dyk had taken Esyas away and he would remain in custody.
The police officer said the money was not for bail, but was an admission of guilt fine, and Van Dyk could now keep him in custody, pending deportation.
The family believed they had been `blatantly misled` by her.
Esyas said Van Dyk fetched him from police cells and took him to her office where she was `extremely hostile and racist towards him`, treating him like an animal and trying to force him to sign documents which he did not understand.
Lekhuleni said:
Upon returning to police cells, the applicant felt he had no options. He thought his life was now in detention until deportation back to the political unrest in Ethiopia, and that made his life not worth living.
`There was nobody to hear his plight. He attempted to hang himself. The police officials, however, caught him trying to take his own life and he was then moved to an isolated cell and placed on suicide watch,` he added.
However, Van Dyk continued to insist he sign the documents.
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27. Aug. 2024 Sowetan Live
Court rules in favour of traditional wife and nullifies civil marriage
Hilda Sedinjane turned to the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for an order that she be recognised as the true wife of deceased Seabela Malatji. The parties concluded a customary marriage in 1988 as evidenced by a lobola certificate and four children were born of the marriage. V.5574
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26. Aug. 2024 Cape Times
‘Outdated systems expose Home Affairs’
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber on Tuesday said his department should urgently embrace technology, or South Africa’s national security would be under threat. Schreiber said the problems in the issuance of fraudulent visas pointed the department towards a solution that lay in embracing digital transformation in all its facets and across the department. V.5571
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26. Aug. 2024 Polity
Home Affairs committee wants inspectorate unit strengthened to track foreign nationals
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs pointed out that while the deportation of 95 Libyan nationals has been effected, the need to strengthen the inspectorate unit of the department is necessary and called for an enhanced monitoring tool to track foreign nationals in the country. Earlier this week, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) concluded its preparations to deport the 95 Libyan nationals, after they were arrested in White River, Mpumalanga, last month. V.5572
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23. Aug. 2024 Sowetan Live
Two more people caught over IDs-for-sale scam
Duo`s arrests follow that of home affairs office cleaner Office cleaner Rhandzu Chauke with family and lawyer outside the Pretoria magistrate’s court, this after appearing on the charge of theft of home affairs stamp. The arrest of two undocumented Mozambican nationals in connection with the selling of fake IDs has lifted a lid on an alleged documents-for-cash scheme believed to be happening at the home affairs office in Centurion. V.5562
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23. Aug. 2024 TIMES TRAVEL
How to apply for Greece tourist visa: A step-by-step guide
Synopsis Travelers planning to visit Greece need a Schengen visa. The process includes scheduling an appointment, filling out an application form, submitting required documents, attending an interview, and waiting for processing. Greece is a gorgeous European nation noted for its iconic island destinations such as Santorini and Mykonos, among others. Those planning a trip to Greece, applying for a tourist visa is a must. Because Greece is a European nation, you’ll need to apply for a Schenegen visa. However it’s an easy process if you are aware of all the necessary steps carefully. V.5564
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23. Aug. 2024 Daad
Austria Job Seeker VISA With Family VISA Application Process
Ever dreamt of swapping your daily grind for a life filled with stunning mountain views, world-class music, and enough pastries to make your heart sing? Well, Austria is ready to roll out the red carpet for you! One of the key pathways to entering Austria as a skilled worker is through the Austrian Job Seeker Visa (Category D). V.5566
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23. Aug. 2024 Daily Maverick
Deadly Marabastad stampede sheds light on struggles of undocumented migrants in SA
Police are investigating a stampede that took place at the Home Affairs offices in Marabastad in Pretoria in which one person died and 20 more were injured. The story of Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina and how she became a contestant in the Miss South Africa pageant has cast notions of nationality and access to documentation for foreign nationals living in South Africa into the spotlight. V.5568
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23. Aug. 2024 DW
New Zealand: Emigration soars amid economic woes
New Zealand`s population of 5.3 million grew by just 0.1% (7,000) in the second quarter of 2024 as the number of those leaving the country reached well over 100,000 in the first half of the year, official statistics showed on Monday. The practical stagnation in population growth comes despite record numbers of arrivals in recent years driven largely by the island nation`s reputation for high living and working standards and as a haven of security in an increasingly troubled world. V.5569
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23. Aug. 2024 DW
New Zealand: Emigration soars amid economic woes
New Zealand`s population of 5.3 million grew by just 0.1% (7,000) in the second quarter of 2024 as the number of those leaving the country reached well over 100,000 in the first half of the year, official statistics showed on Monday. The practical stagnation in population growth comes despite record numbers of arrivals in recent years driven largely by the island nation`s reputation for high living and working standards and as a haven of security in an increasingly troubled world. V.5570
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21. Aug. 2024 IOL
Visa backlog: Portfolio committee welcomes overtime approval for Home Affairs officials
The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration has welcomed the approval of overtime for Home Affairs officials to reduce the visa backlog. This comes after Minister of Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi and his department granted the overtime request from Homes Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber for the next three months to meet target and reduce the backlog. V.5560
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20. Aug. 2024 News 24
While Schreiber wants to bring dignity to Home Affairs, xenophobia rears its head in budget debate
• Several parties represented in Parliament blamed undocumented migrants for crime and draining social services during the debate on the Department of Home Affairs` budget. • Claims undocumented migrants are disproportionately responsible for crime or are depleting South African taxes without contributing, have previously been debunked. • New Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said he wanted to bring dignity back to the department`s work. V.5555
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20. Aug. 2024 Groundup
Judge slams law firm for misleading court with `cut-and-paste` applications targeting refugees
• Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has slammed a firm of attorneys and an advocate for `cut-and-paste` work in cases involving refugees. • He ordered them to pay out of their own pockets for costs awarded in these cases. • Manamela MA Attorneys was running a `cottage industry`, preying on vulnerable refugees, Mlambo said. A firm of attorneys and an advocate have been ordered to pay the costs, from their own pockets, of six `cut-and-paste` applications involving refugees seeking asylum, GroundUp reports. V.5556
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20. Aug. 2024 My Broadband
How to get your new Smart ID at a bank
South Africans looking to upgrade their green ID booklet to a smart ID card can book an appointment to do so using the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHomeAffairs platform. Moreover, the system allows applicants to book appointments at DHA-supported bank branches across the country, meaning they never have to step foot in a Home Affairs office or face the associated queues. V.5557
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20. Aug. 2024 SowetanLive
How stolen home affairs stamp led to cleaner`s bust
A year and four months after a stamp used to authenticate documents was stolen at a home affairs office, a 24-year-old man presented a birth certificate bearing the same stamp to apply for an ID. The certificate, however, was found to be fake and was produced four months after the stamp was stolen. V.5559
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19. Aug. 2024 SABC 3
Spaza shop owners cry foul regarding Gauteng government funding
Local entrepreneurs and spaza shop owners have lashed out at the Gauteng Department of Economic Development for failing to deliver on their promises which were part of the R100 million “Kasi Mnotho Fund”. The fund was aimed at offering strategic loans and empowering businesses to secure trading stock, equipment, machinery and working capital. This initiative was promised to business owners in an attempt to foster entrepreneurship and propel economic growth in Gauteng’s townships. V.5552
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19. Aug. 2024 IOL
Identity fraud rockets in SA
Identity fraud is on the increase in South Africa, with the latest fraud statistics recording a 400% surge in impersonation fraud from April 2023 to April 2024. Fraud statistics from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) have also revealed that impersonation fraud increased by a staggering 356% from April 2022 to April 2023. V.5553
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16. Aug. 2024 EWN (EYEWITNESS NEWS )
Father unable to register his son because he is not the mother
For the past eight years, Mqokeleli Sigwintshi has been trying to get a birth certificate from the Department of Home Affairs for his son, who is now nine years old. Sigwintshi said in 2015, his wife, with whom he had a traditional marriage, gave birth to their son at the Willowvale Health Centre. A year later, his wife visited her family in Mthatha. V.5550
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14. Aug. 2024 Reuters
People leave New Zealand in record numbers as economy bites
People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high and economic growth is anaemic, government statistics show. Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday showed that 131 200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia. While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists also expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy. The data showed of those departing 80 174 were citizens, which was almost double the numbers seen leaving prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. V.5548
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14. Aug. 2024 SABC3
De Lille calls for concerted efforts for tourism to grow SA economy
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille has called for concerted efforts to ensure that the potential of the tourism sector to grow the economy is realised. The sector is one of the apex contributors to the economy. The country is seeking to attract 15 million tourists to South Africa by 2030 as the National Development Plan envisages. V.5549
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13. Aug. 2024 Zimoja News
Driven by a desire for a luxurious lifestyle
A Congolese national was sentenced to 12 years for corruption and other crimes. CRIMINAL SYNDICATES Congolese national Tiny Mtumba (36) was sentenced to 12 years and 3 months imprisonment for fraud, theft, and contravention of the Immigration Act by the Palm Ridge Commercial Court in the East Rand in Gauteng on Thursday. V.5547
