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19 March 2008

The Department of Home Affairs wishes to clarify a misleading media report that appeared over the weekend in the Sunday Tribune newspaper surrounding the allegation by Manjar Ali Shaik Yusuf Ulde titled "Let me back in - for my children."

Any suggestion by Mr Ulde that the Department of Home Affairs has violated the rights of his two South African-born children is baseless and unfounded. According to the records in possession of the department, it is evident that Mr Ulde has grossly contravened the Immigration Act.

Mr Ulde has contravened the Immigration Act as follows:

* He entered South Africa on a visit visa in 1993 but overstayed until he was deported in 1999.
* He was deported because he acquired a fraudulent permit for permanent residence. The date given for the acquisition of this permit is May 1993 prior to Mr Ulde entering the Republic of South Africa for the first time in August 1993.
* Mr Ulde then 'came back' to the Republic of South Africa in 2002. He attempted to register a marriage to a South African national by stating he was joining his South African spouse on 31 January 2003. This marriage was found to be fraudulent.
* Furthermore Mr Ulde was still at the time married to his current wife while he was engaging in this attempt to defraud the Department of Home Affairs. Mr Ulde's fraudulent behaviour did not stop there as he still managed to arrange a fraudulent intra-company transfer permit in 2004.
* Mr Ulde's wife Sadika, meanwhile, has also been party to his fraudulent activities. She was deported with Mr Ulde in 1999. She managed to acquire a permit to join her spouse in June 2003. This is at the time when Mr Ulde was meant to be 'married' to his South African spouse.

Mr Ulde as a fraudster will go to any lengths to return to South Africa. We cannot allow the department to be held at ransom by one individual stating his children are born here, therefore we should excuse his criminality. Furthermore, Mr Ulde's children were deported with his wife earlier this year. In order for the children to have been deported, they obviously had passports showing they are Indian nationals. Therefore, Mr Ulde's claims are totally groundless. All the issues he raises in this article are matters that can be resolved in his home country. South Africa cannot violate the rights of Indian national children who are in their home country.

It should be understood that the responsibility of the Department of Home Affairs is not only to implement laws pertaining to illegal immigration, but also to protect the integrity of the country from being used as hideouts or a base for fraudulent activities.

Enquiries:
Jacky Mashapu
Acting Head of Communication Services
Cell: 082 885 8449

Issued by: Department of Home Affairs
19 March 2008