Author: Jan Bornman

South Africa’s One-Stop Border Post Bill proposes joint border zones where officials from neighbouring countries conduct immigration, customs and security checks together to reduce delays and facilitate trade. Rights groups worry that asylum seekers could be “bounced” between officials from different states or face unlawful detention because the bill doesn’t clarify which country takes responsibility in these shared zones. Immigrant communities and trade unions support reducing border delays, but critics say the bill lacks anti-corruption mechanisms. They say it fails to address underlying policies that encourage irregular crossings and smuggling. Asylum seekers could be “bounced” between countries at the border…

The legal saga over the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) returns to court on Tuesday as the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) hears the Department of Home Affairs’ appeal against a ruling that temporarily protected ZEP holders from arrest and deportation. The interim interdict, granted in June 2023 in a case brought by the Zimbabwean Immigration Federation (ZIF), shielded all ZEP holders — about 178,000 people — while the legality of the permit system’s termination was being challenged. The validity of the ZEP was last year extended to November 2025. The Department of Home Affairs is asking the SCA to set aside the interim…