Ideologically blinded Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, professionally neglecting and mismanaging the Department of Home Affairs, has extended his endless holiday and that of his employees by granting another extension on all visa that were issued before lockdown commenced last year. While his colleague in government, Minister Dlamini-Zuma, had already announced and gazetted a further lockdown period, the truly laziest Minister in the cabinet left it to the last minute to announce the extension. Thousands of foreigners had to make departure preparations, prepay transport tickets and sat on packed suitcases just because this Minister lacks any empathy and shames the perception of South Africa amongst expats as a fossil token of blatant xenophobia and total disregard for the needs and concerns of South Africa’s legal guests.
All visa – whether short-term / 90-day tourist visa or long-term temporary visa based on critical skills, retirement, studies, business, employment or medical reasons – are now extended automatically until 30 September 2021. The Refugee Offices and Visa and Permanent Residence Permit processing departments remain closed until then.
The extension also means that any person departing from the Republic on a visa that expired during lockdown can do so without facing fines, arrest or benishment from the country. However, the practice of the border officials from the Department of Home Affairs have proven over and over that they may disregard the law and have banned endless visitors that should have left unharmed for an alleged illegal overstay. This happens not beacuse nobody informed the official or he misread the dates in the passport, it is an orchestrated scenario, sanctioned by highest government levels to show foreigners “who is boss” and that they are not welcome back here.
One can only pray that President Ramaphosa and the SIU are soon shifting their focus onto this Minister and that he may follow Zuma, Magashule, Mkhize etc. to the place where the sun shines through bars!