“Stop Leon Schreiber”: Home Affairs Minister’s Efforts to Grant Visa Extension Concessions Met With Resistance from South Africans
Newly appointed Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber has been diligent in his department since taking over on the 3rd of July 2024, expressing his desire to make Home Affairs not only better in documenting foreign nationals but to be responsible in the department being active and “online”. However, his work hasn’t been without its fair share of resistance.
Since the earmarked ministers have been sworn into the Government of National Unity, candidates have been on the move to shift the South African landscape. From the Minister of Correctional Services Pieter Groenewald moving to introduce a system that might eventually see prisoners produce their own food, thus lightening the burden on taxpayers, to Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube shaking up the education space, South Africans have received the work being done by the country’s newest public servants with warmth.
However, it hasn’t been the case with the latest changes the Minister of Home Affairs has been meaning to introduce in due time.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber | SUPPLIED
After President Cyril Ramaphosa entrusted the Democratic Alliance with the Home Affairs portfolio, the party’s Dr Leon Schreiber has just been as busy as his GNU colleagues, doing his work and keeping his progress above board using the hashtag #TeamHomeAffairs. Only a day after being sworn in last week Tuesday (4 July 2024), the Home Affairs minister issued a media statement on the temporary extension of visa concession, which would, according to the document, “safeguard applicants – including those who are contributing to South Africa through their scarce skills – from suffering adverse consequences of being erroneously declared undesirable while they await the outcome of applications submitted to the Department.”
Apart from the concession, due to last till 31 December 2024, Dr. Schreiber has been vocal about streamlining the visa system of the country to make it easier for immigrants to work and find a place within the South African society legally with the aims of making Mzansi attractive to global investors and tourists.
Read the statement below:
Page 1 of the Statement
Page 2 of the Statement
Page 3 of the Statement
South Africans in the social media space have been concerned with Dr Schreiber’s efforts to double down on his mission, with the general populace bringing up the unemployment dilemma and the digital nomad question while criticizing the DA as a whole for defeating the purpose in the fight against the scourge. This criticism has culminated in South Africans starting a petition dubbed “Stop Leon Schreiber”, which aims to put a halt on the minister’s attempts of making extensions concerning work visas.
Only three days since the petition was started on Change.org, the initiative has collected over 3 200 signatures. Beside habouring the standard grievance of South Africans who decry the unemployment rate, the petition has described the minister’s efforts as an “insult” to previous Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s work in the department.
Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA has also voiced its concerns over the minister’s move, calling on Schreiber to make addressing illegal immigration a “top priority” instead.
The minister of Home Affairs has not commented on the petition as yet.