Home Affairs proposes 'specialised' courts to tackle immigration

Motsoaledi was briefing parliament on Wednesday where he presented a R10.863 billion budget vote.

This comes amid a high court challenge against Government's decision to not extend the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) which is due to come to an end on 30 June 2023.

"The issue of migration remains a burning issue in South Africa and within the global community. The number of illegal foreigners in South Africa is very high."

"The DHA has completed its work on the Immigration, Citizenship and Refugee Protection policy framework. This policy framework will be gazetted for public comments very soon.

"The three pieces of legislation, namely the Immigration Act of 2002, the South African Citizenship Act of 1995 and the Refugees Act of 1998 are obsolete and would be completely repealed."

Motsoaledi says the new law aims to deal with court challenges brought by migrants when litigating existing laws.

"The new single legislation will address all these difficulties, including establishment of specialized immigration courts."

"The current practice of migrants challenging unfavourable decisions in a long-drawn court processed would be discouraged in the new legislation."

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