Thu 09 April 2026:
Here’s what’s happening in South Africa today:
◼️ Nearly 5 000 South Africans take up Trump’s refugee offer: The Trump administration has essentially ended refugee admissions as part of a crackdown on immigration but made an exception for South Africa’s white Afrikaans community. All of 4 499 people listed as resettled across 48 US states between 1 October last year and 31 March this year were South Africans except for three Afghans, according to the document from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population.
https://www.news24.com/southafrica/news/nearly-5-000-south-africans-take-up-trumps-refugee-offer-20260409-0328
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◼️ Home Affairs deports nearly 110 000 illegal immigrants from SA: Schreiber said the deployment of drone and body camera technology has already made a difference. “While the impending scale-up of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system will record biometrics for every foreigner who enters our country, it will dramatically enhance our ability to detect and arrest anyone who is in South Africa illegally.”
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/home-affairs-deports-nearly-110-000-illegal-immigrants-sa/
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◼️ Global Sumud South Africa seeks funds for humanitarian flotilla to Gaza: The South African delegation of the Global Sumud Flotilla (known as Global Sumud South Africa) is urgently trying to raise R750,000. This funding is critical to ensure the delegation is mission-ready by April 20 for the upcoming flotilla, which aims to break the illegal blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-04-09-global-sumud-south-africa-seeks-funds-for-humanitarian-flotilla-to-gaza/
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◼️ Massive changes coming for visa and immigration rules: The new policy now permits spouses of skilled worker visa holders to seek work authorisation through a points-based system, with certain requirements eased. Although this change does not provide automatic work rights, it creates a clearer and more practical route to employment. Jacobs pointed out that this is a significant shift in improving South Africa’s competitiveness in attracting rare skills.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/856311/massive-changes-coming-for-visa-and-immigration-rules-in-south-africa/
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◼️ Good news about Amazon delivery prices: Over 60% of products sold on the online marketplace are sourced from third-party merchants who pay commissions to Amazon for storing and delivering their products. A representative for the retailer’s local marketplace confirmed to MyBroadband that the surcharge will not apply to South African sellers on Amazon.co.za.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/business/638560-good-news-about-amazon-delivery-prices-in-south-africa.html
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