Pleading for a fair and just decision to be made by the Officer in charge.

Hi there, please i need assistance with regard of an ongoing situation which might by observing the situation crush my future and the career am almost done working for as a student. Am a foreign student residing in South Africa from 15/02/11 and have completed my matric in 2013 and obtained a Bachelor Degree. I then got admitted to study Law at the Walter Sisulu University (NMD Campus) in 2014. I should be doing my 4th year this year due to some outstanding remaining modules but this seems to be falling as till now am still home awaiting an approval of my appeal to the decision of rejecting my application for a LETTER OF GOOD CAUSE to allow me to renew my permit in order for the university to admit me to be able to continue and finish up my LLB Degree.

I have been blamed for my inability to acquire a renewal of a study permit for reasons of me not doing things on time of which are wrong just because no one in-charge would take into account my explanation of what really happened that lead to me not being able to apply on time.

Firstly I was to apply 3 months (90 days) before my permit expire but due to technical difficulties from the side of the VFS Online Application system i tried several times in October but the system was still not allowing me access to start my application but i kept on trying and didn't give up since it was the only right way i know, this continued till i got a chance to make an online payment for the permit renewal fee on the 26 November 2017 at 5:47 PM. After the payment i then proceeded to schedule a date and time for the submission of my permit renewal application but this could not happen because the system error from the VFS Online Application occurred once again and i tried and tried but nothing positive regarding the appointment schedule coming, I wrote them lots of emails and their(VFS) response were always the same telling me to be patient since they my case has been escalated to their higher office for a solution , sometimes also they tell me to restart my browser or even download a new version of firefoxe web browser and all that but none of these helped and i have proof of all these email response from them, i then approached my lawyer about the situation who also wrote to them but never responded.

They then wrote to me again on 22 February 2018 at 8:31 AM, and i quote, " Dear Sir/Madam, Further to our below email. Please note the payment is reflecting. You are advised to login and book your appointment. Do write us back if further assistance needed." I paid on the 26/11/17 and received and online receipt for acceptance of payment and i was only told my payment is only reflecting 22/02/18, isn't this much of a poor service delivery and i had to suffer for it. Upon my arrival at the VFS Facilitation Center at Durban i was told by these same people who have caused me this much that i need to go apply for a letter of good cause to state the reasons why am submitting my application late and i asked them whether they forgot they are the cause of this problem but nothing i said mattered so i had to leave and travel back from Durban to Mthatha just imagine the cost of transport and worse cost of data wasted for ones own cause.

I then went to the Department of Home Affairs in Mthatha to apply for the letter of good cause but upon my arrival i was told such letters are not issued there anymore that is when i realized my life somehow has ended since i did not know where or who to look to for help. I then sometime suggested my dad visit the Kempton Park Immigration Office to try find out if they could do nothing about the situation.

Upon his arrival it occurred to him that what was told by the Mthatha Home Affairs in Eastern Cape that they do not process such application anymore was false. The Kempton Park Home Affairs assisted in processing the application sent it to the higher office for approval but the application was rejected for the reasons of; ." The applicant not paying the VFS fee on time.., . The applicant not writing his motivation on time...".

All these if facing reality were not my fault but no amount of words from me would explain my side to the satisfactory of the people in charge, at some point my future is being placed in the hands of those in-charge as i still wait for a response for the appeal i have made which is still pending for almost 3 months now regarding the decline of my previous application. All i need is the Letter of Good Cause to be able to acquire a study permit in order be able to be admitted to finish my studies. My peers are at school studying whiles am cast aside and not knowing what tomorrow holds for me regarding education wise, a dream shouldn't be cut short this simple an unfairness of a system.

My details are as follows: NAME & SURNAME: ROMEO KOFI ADU-ASARE PASSPORT NUMBER: G ********** REF: G **********

I believe you can help my side of the story to be heard in this regard as you have done it before. Thanks a lot for this platform to help the voices of people like me to be heard.