Home Affairs, ******* to the Bone

This is a personal experience I had in contact with the VFS and Department of Home Affairs or experiences from very close long term friends. When I came the first time to South Africa in 2001, I fell in love with the country. In 2008 I moved down here, first on a Business Visa, that got ****ed by SARS as they were *********** to hand our business a VAT number within 6 months. Went that far, I got a message, that I have to restart the procedure for a VAT number, as the system rejects the dates as to long, and SARS can't handle the process as it took THEM to long. Closed down the business right away. A government lets you create jobs or it doesn't, the ANC just doesn't. But we are Home Affairs, not SARS here. I went on a Spousal Visa with my SA life partner, she is a Medical Doctor. In Switzerland, no I am no Swiss, but they send me my VISA documents automatically for renewal, not in Africa, here you can be happy, when you handed in applications just get looked at. Automatic renewal service is so far off, I think there is a meteor hitting earth before that happens in South Africa. I am for 8 years on the same Spousal Visa. So lets start, what happened on the last renew mission. I handed in my documents in early October to have my VISA done End November, was running our 27. Nov. We talk 3rd renewal of the same spousal partner, no changes at all. I organized the same documents as usual. Made the appointment with the VFS and went there on time, like the application says. Again, South Africa is unique. You make an appointment for 10.30 and get to go to the desk at 12.00. Why you make an appointment and why they are not able to actually stick to the times THEY GIVE YOU.. is a mystery. But, when you work longer with the VFS, you understand, they don't really know what they do. I think is mainly based on the SA employment rules. I was in high management in Europe and know a bit how the game works. You have a open spot, you need to fill with a worker, you look for the best fitting person to do the job. Not in South Africa, here you have to have black skin to quality, what makes you shake your head as a manager. The only points to qualify a person for a job, should be the qualifications that person has to do the job, not the skin color. This strategy is just pure suicide for the local economy. And this is were we stand now, after over 10 years of living here, I can say with clear conscience, things are going very much downhill, as long as the ANC is handling the affairs. To much *******ion everywhere.. and I have examples, better material to prove *******ion, isn't possible. But lets first go on with my story. So handed in my renewal docs. The first was the SA police clearance. On the Check List (The document telling you what you have to bring to enter your visa) were both police clearances SA and home country. Got both, took 3 months to get them and cost about 2000R on shipping fees. Handing them in, the clerk tells me, you don't need those anymore. "We do them here now." So I had to ask, why is it on the check list. "What check list, don't know what you talk about, we put that last January on the website. Police clearances now done here at the VFS for 580 Rand".. costs way less doing those at the Police station.. so once more.. VFS/Department of Home Affaris rips you off. But then I asked to see the manager as I took the Check List I printed from the VFS system and showed the clerk. Manager came, rather unfriendly person, felt offended. He told me in a offensive voice, that this is for 10 months on their website and I should just read it up. I told the man, that I used the documents from their website to get the needed docs and the Check List for the Spousal Visa has the information on, that I have to present both crime records. Now he made a funny face, checked that Check List I showed him, mumbled something about: that is a mistake and simply left, not a single word of sorry for the mistake the VFS has made and cost me 2580 Rand in total. Visa came back rejected with a total *****ic reason. Everybody checking out the reason just looked at me and shook his head. And just to say, when I handed in the appeal, the check list was still not corrected 2 months later. Would actually not surprise me, if the document is still not corrected, 9 months later. The appeal I did came back.. accepted and approved (no change in documents, handed in EXACTLY the same). So I had my temp Spousal Visa done. Why not hand in the PR Visa... hehehe printed that.. check list states like on the temp Visa, need both crime records. I wasn't sure if I have to get them or not.. so I made the appointment at the VFS to check my documents, if I have everything. Paid by VISA card.. I add that. So I went there, showed all, and got told, I need a letter for recommendationof my spouse (3rd renewal of the same VISA, didn't needed that before), certified by a keeper of the oath. And my German Police Clearance.. the South African, like written on the Check List.. wasn't needed, so this document also didn't got changed by the VFS.. even you bring the ORIGINAL Police Clearance, 280 Rand cost.. you have to do it AGAIN at the VFS for 580.. double charge and they charge a LOT more as the police office, you ask why? So I went home, got the police clearance from Germany and wanted to make an appointment to hand in the VISA.. now comes the best! Doesn't work, you can make ONE appointment, there is NO option to just get a second appointment, you have to refill the full application (you have everything done from the application before, no way to reopen or copy, you have to fill out those 25 pages again.. from scratch! Hehehe and.. now hold your stomachs.. the 5 minute check of papers, the VFS wants to charge me the full application amount of 1580 Rand.. just for a paper check, didn't took 5 minutes at the desk. Refund from the old application ends with 10 error messages, for each bank address line, you get a error, that it is missing for EFT.. that i paid by VISA and selected VISA.. doesn't seem to bother the website to send me 2 errors for the same line.. refund, doesn't work.. I have NO answer to my email, how to refund a VISA transfer for over 3 weeks.. and I decided today, I actually do not want to be part of this banana republic anymore. Planning to move out by 2021 and spend my 250k Rand a year in a country, actually not trying to ***** you over as much as it can, just because you have the wrong skin color. I, for my part, am rather confused how South Africans vote down their country by supporting a political party, which has proven for the last 25 years very effectively, they are just a bunch of ******* politicians.. things go down hill for the last 25 years and as long as the ANC stays on top of the chain, this will get worse.. *******ion becomes unbearable. So lets get to this point, then I am done. Friend app**** 3 years ago for Permanent Residency. First application got rejected.. again, the reason for rejection was just a giggle.. not enough money! He showed perhaps to much.. 3 times the amount needed.. but got rejected, I think they just saw the amount and wanted a bit from the rich Swiss. He made the appeal.. which was ongoing for a year, when he ran into a Visa consultant: Oh, I can sort that out very fast for you, just need some cash. I think my friend paid WAY to much hehehe he told the guy, I give you 100k Rand, if you can get my PR Visa through. I think 20k would have done the job.. but 3 weeks later, his PR Visa was approved. 3 years rejection by going the official way.. and 3 weeks to pay some coins to get it done right away.. better example for *******ion is hard to find. And when you think into the damage those ANC employed officers do.. not just the Government miss out on the cash coming in from the Visas to help the poor, the ******* people get the monthly salary AND the cash which should go into the treasury to actually pay their salaries.. double shot in the knee.. not supporting that anymore, don't want to be part of that anymore.. moving out.. enough is enough. Not helping turning South Africa into a Banana Republic with the help of the ANC. -A German-