South Africa: Select Committee Welcomes Visa Backlog Interventions, Calls for Sustainable Reform

The Select Committee on Security and Justice has welcomed the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) progress in addressing visa-related backlogs, while emphasising that clearing overdue applications must be accompanied by reforms to prevent backlogs from recurring. The DHA briefed the committee yesterday on visa processing, appeals, overdue-reduction interventions and digital transformation. It identified sustained demand, application complexity, fragmented processes, data integration challenges and capacity constraints as key factors contributing to processing delays. The committee expressed particular concern about the scale of pending appeals. As of 28 July 2026, the DHA reported 21 847 pending appeals, of which 13 148 (60.2%) were overdue. The department indicated that appeals remain a significant workload requiring targeted, fair and risk-based adjudication. Committee Chairperson Ms Jane Seboletswe Mananiso said the committee recognises the complexity of visa adjudication, particularly where applications require verification or involve potential fraud and misrepresentation. She commended the department for the progress made. “The committee welcomes the measures being implemented t