Department Of Home Affairs
The Department of Home Affairs is a South African government department responsible for immigration, citizenship, identity documentation and civil registration. The department manages the issuance of passports, identity documents, birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates for South African citizens and residents. It oversees immigration control at ports of entry, processes visa applications and administers the country's refugee and asylum systems. The department also maintains the National Population Register, which records vital statistics and demographic information for the population. Its mandate includes combating identity fraud, illegal immigration and document forgery. The department operates service centres across South Africa and works with external service providers such as VFS Global to process visa applications in other countries. It reports to the Minister of Home Affairs, a Cabinet-level position. The department plays a central role in national security, border management and the administration of civic rights. It has undergone modernisation efforts in recent years to digitise services and reduce processing times for documents and applications.
Department Of Home Affairs Updates
ActionSA welcomes withdrawal of reckless asylum seeker directive
9th October 2026 ActionSA welcomes the withdrawal of the Department of Home Affairs’ reckless directive that sought to compel Refugee Reception Offices to accept... →
Home Affairs Director-General withdraws asylum directive
9th October 2026 The Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn the directive that had been issued by his office on 28 September regarding the... →
Home Affairs backtracks from attempt to comply with ConCourt refugee ruling, amid public safety concerns 
By: Creamer Media Reporter 9th October 2026 Following violent anti-migrant protests that rocked Durban and Soweto this week, Home Affairs Director-General Livhuwani Makhode has withdrawn the... →
Home Affairs waives one of the biggest practical hurdles for visa applications in South Africa
9th October 2026 The Minister of Home Affairs has waived the requirement for foreign nationals in South Africa to submit visa applications at least 60 days before... →
ANC seeks to correct ‘false narratives’ over refugee ruling, pending labour Bill
By: Thabi Shomolekae 8th October 2026 The ANC has called on South Africans to reject "false narratives" surrounding the country's immigration policies, clarifying that a recent apex... →
Ministerial Committee warns of fake news as ConCourt ruling triggers influx at refugee centres
By: Thabi Shomolekae 8th October 2026 The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration has expressed concerns over what it says is the deliberate spread of misinformation and disinformation... →
Home Affairs takes action against disinformation campaign on Constitutional Court judgment
7th October 2026 The Department of Home Affairs is alarmed by an apparent coordinated disinformation campaign surrounding the Constitutional Court judgment of 7... →
Brink’s sudden conversion to immigration raids a sign of his desperation
7th October 2026 Cilliers Brink’s sudden conversion to highly publicised raids against illegal immigration, just 30 days before an election in which he is... →
SA: Dr Leon Schreiber: Address by Minister of Home Affairs, at the Home Affairs Quantum Leap: A Vision for the Future of Government at Constitution Hill (01/10/2026)
2nd October 2026 More than any other department, Home Affairs had become synonymous with public sector failure. Millions of South Africans associated it with taking... →
DA backs Min. Schreiber’s digital transformation of Home Affairs: a quantum leap forward
2nd October 2026 The Democratic Alliance backs Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber’s ambitious digital transformation programme, which is fundamentally... →
