With a single court order, the High Court in Pretoria resolved what the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) failed to finalise for more than five years: declaring a UK-born citizen a Permanent Resident of South Africa.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Leon Schreiber, has extended the validity of both the Lesotho Exemption Permits (LEPs) and Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs) until 28 May 2027, granting an additional 18-month reprieve for thousands of permit holders whose documents were set to expire on 28 November 2025.
On 26 September 2025 the Minister of Home Affairs announced a further extension of the visa concession to visa holders with waiver and appeal applications as the backlog at the Department of Home Affairs in finalising these applications, remains.
Imagine you are a high-earning South African expatriate, well-compensated abroad, enjoying generous fringe benefits and filing your tax return from afar. Then a detailed audit letter from the Tax Man arrives, requesting payslips for specific months over a two-year period, full pay roll reconciliations, proof of foreign tax paid, a breakdown of international travel expenses, departure dates for trips and duration of the visit to each entity.
South Africa remains in competition with other emerging markets to attract global finance and investments, and the scarce skills that come with it to boost its economy. To become globally competitive, the country must solve its core issues around electricity supply and network industry challenges that hinder growth. This was the key message delivered by Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen at the 5th Global Mobility Conference hosted by Xpatweb in Johannesburg on 13 August 2025.
