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Business Standard
15 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
No more visa stickers: UK mandates eVisas for students, skilled workers
If you're planning to study or work in the UK, there's a new visa process in place from July 15, 2025. The UK government has begun issuing eVisas for student and skilled worker categories, replacing the physical vignette that was earlier stamped in passports. No more visa stickers in passports Those applying for a UK work or study visa on or after July 15 will no longer receive a vignette, the sticker typically placed inside the passport. Instead, applicants will be issued a digital immigration status and will need to create a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to access their eVisa before travelling. The process will still require biometrics, but that part is now simpler too. 'From July 15, online applications will allow you to submit biometrics and collect your passport on the same day, so you don't have to come back to the Visa Application Centre again,' the UK government explained in a press release. Applicants will be informed of the decision by email, as per the usual UKVI processing timelines. Vignettes still for dependants and other categories Those applying as dependants or under visa routes other than work or study will still receive a vignette in their passport. This includes family members accompanying the main applicant and categories such as visitor visas or settlement routes. 'You'll still get a vignette if you apply as a dependant for any visa or as a main applicant for visas other than work or study,' the government clarified. A digital shift in immigration records The UK is now transitioning from physical immigration documents to a digital system, and the eVisa is a key part of that. 'These changes to the UK visa system will make it much simpler for students and workers to prove their identity and visa status. It also means applicants can hold onto their passports, saving them time,' said Jane Marriott, UK High Commissioner to India. The move is expected to eliminate the need for physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs), with all immigration records linked to an individual's UKVI account. Who gets an eVisa now EVisas are now being issued to main applicants under the following routes: Student visas, including short-term study up to 11 months Global Business Mobility routes: Senior or specialist worker, graduate trainee, UK expansion worker, service supplier, and secondment worker Global talent visa International sportsperson visa Skilled worker visas, including health and care roles Temporary work visas under charity, creative, religious, government-authorised exchange, and international agreement categories Youth mobility scheme Creating a UKVI account To access the eVisa, applicants must create a UKVI account. This is necessary for anyone granted a visa through a digital notice—either via a decision letter or a Form for Affixing a Visa (FAV)—and those without a valid identity document, such as an expired BRP or passport. The UK's move to eVisas is part of a phased shift towards a fully digital immigration system. The government has confirmed that all BRP holders will eventually need to transition to this new digital system by setting up their UKVI accounts.
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The Citizen
24-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Gupta's property in Saxonwold compound sold for R3.3m at auction [PICS]
The auction followed a six-week campaign of marketing and public viewings. Number 3 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen One of three properties in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, linked to the Gupta family was successfully sold at auction on Thursday for R3.3 million. The public sale was part of an effort to recover funds from the family's confiscated estate. The homes are owned by Confident Concept, a Gupta-owned company currently under business rescue. The auction forms part of a larger effort to liquidate assets tied to the controversial family. Number 7 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Auction at Gupta's Saxonwold compound According to Park Village Auctions, the auction followed a six-week campaign of marketing and public viewings. The property sold – listed as the third house – sits on Saxonwold Drive. It is a three-bedroom, single-storey home valued at R5.5 million, and it went under the hammer for R3.3 million. ALSO READ: Gupta-linked Saxonwold mansions head to auction after seven-year legal battle The sale is pending approval by the appointed business rescue practitioners (BRPs). The other two properties on offer did not attract successful bids. Property number five is an eight-bedroom, three-level mansion, while property number seven is a grand 17-bedroom residence, each with an en-suite bathroom. The indoor swimming pool at number 5 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Despite the lack of sale, movable assets inside the homes did draw bids. Items from the mansion brought in R100 000 and the contents of house number seven were bid at R60 000. These sales, like the real estate transaction, are also subject to confirmation. Watch the video below: Gupta Mansions. One 1 sold at auction, number 3 Saxonworld Drive valued at R5M selling for R3.3M#Gupta #StateCapture — Ntokozo Khumalo (@NtoksKhumalo) July 24, 2025 Municipal valuations Auctioneer Clive Lazarus weighed in on the results, saying while there was strong interest ahead of the auction, the properties' distinctive nature made it normal for such transactions to take longer to finalise. 'The municipal valuations and subsequent steep rates and taxes (up to R30 000 per month on a residential property) are obvious factors that would hinder the sale by auction,' Lazarus said. He said auctions represent only one element of a larger sales strategy, which was essential to ensure transparency in a case that has significant public interest. READ MORE: Batohi not worried about Omotoso's deportation as NPA plans to bring Gupta brothers back to SA 'The BRPs will likely make the properties available by private tender, leaving a little more room for buyers to investigate all potential avenues for their investment. 'It will also provide more anonymity for buyers. We will remain in discussions with the interested parties as we progress to the next phase. 'We are confident that we will realise these properties at realistic market rates,' he added. Number 5 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen A bedroom at number 5 Saxonwold Drive, part of the Gupta compound, seen on 24 July 2025. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen Guptas flee SA The Saxonwold properties were deserted by the Gupta brothers – Atul, Rajesh and Ajay – when they fled South Africa for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2018. Their departure came just before then-president Jacob Zuma was forced to step down by the ANC over his association with the family. These homes gained notoriety as locations where the Guptas allegedly hosted high-level politicians as part of efforts to exert undue influence on state affairs and secure government tenders. The trio is wanted by authorities in connection with several criminal investigations. Among the most prominent are the Nulane Investment fraud matter and the controversial Vrede Dairy Farm case. While a 2022 attempt to extradite Atul and Rajesh Gupta failed, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has reaffirmed its determination to bring the brothers back to South Africa to stand trial. NOW READ: Wanted in SA: New extradition request to get Gupta brothers back gains momentum
IOL News
22-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Funding shortfall jeopardises SA Post Office's business rescue plan
The South African Post Office's business rescue plan is in jeopardy after promised funds have failed to materialise. No further progress can be made in implementing the Business Rescue Plan without additional funding from the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), Messrs. Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons, the business rescue practitioner (BRPs) of the SA Post Office (Sapo) said on Monday in an update. Because of this, the BRPs are consulting with their legal advisors regarding the company's potential exit from business rescue and the subsequent return of the company to its shareholder, the DCDT, along with a new appointed board. Sapo was placed under business rescue on July 10, 2023 to avoid liquidation. They said in an affidavit that they would award funding to the process, which would encompass funding of a first tranche of R2.4 billion (which was received and used for retrenchments packages) and then a second tranche of R3.8bn, which was going to be used for the infrastructure upgrade and digitilisation process. The BRPS were expecting to to get funding in March 2024 but nothing has materialised to finalise the plan and no funding was allocated to the Sapo per the medium-term budget speech. Of note, Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi announced this week that Sapo will receive R1.8bn over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), but this is not funding for the business rescue, it is a universal service obligation (USO). Due to this, a freeze has been implemented on all capital expenditure of Sapo and austerity measures were put in place last year. The BRPs said the freeze on capital expenditure included modernizing Sapo's office hardware infrastructure; building infrastructure upgrades; and IT upgrades. Only critical operational expenses are being incurred. The BRPs are continuing to engage with DCDT in relation to other possible alternatives in the interim. They said they were engaging with DCDT on the constituted Joint Sapo, DCDT and National Treasury Strategic Partners/Investment Task Team, however, the Joint Task Team is yet to convene. However, it got temporary relief of R150 million in funds. "The BRPs were informed at a meeting on 21 February 2025 of a possible virement (the process of transferring items from one financial account to another) of funds of R150m from the DCDT for working capital requirements. National Treasury has since approved the virement and the funds were received in March 2025," the BRPs said. "Although this may provide temporary relief for Sapo until the end of April 2025, the funds are not sufficient to substantially implement the Business Rescue Plan and remove the entity from Business Rescue." Additionally, R381m was allocated from the Temporary Employee-Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) in April 2025 to cover salary costs for a period of six months. A further R1.8bn has been allocated for the Post Office to fulfil its Universal Services Obligation (USO). The USO is a policy that ensures basic services, like telecommunications, are available toeveryone, regardless of their location or ability to pay. There is a shortfall to funds required. The BRPs said R3.8bn is still required to pay the remaining dividends to statutory creditors, provide enough working capital to the business, and to invest in certain infrastructure upgrades in order to sufficiently implement its turnaround strategy. Due to this funding uncertainty, the BRPs said they were aggressively focusing on collecting all outstanding debtors and increasing revenues where possible. Meanwhile, an extensive amount of work has gone into preparing a detailed strategy and financial model, and which are considered by the BRPs to be important supporting documents to the business rescue plan. The detailed strategy and financial model set out the turnaround plan and deals with the 'future proofing' component of the business rescue plan. These documents were presented to the DCDT, National Treasury and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies. The BRPs said they have implemented the Business Rescue Plan to the extent possible despite the funding constraints. "The business rescue plan can only be fully implemented once we receive the funding or part of the funding that was committed by the government," they said. As regards creditor claims and payments, a total of 99.6% of creditor dividends of 12 cents amounting to R1 015bn have been paid on August 31, 2024. The remaining 0.4% of creditors is a combination of disputed claims and unverified landlord queries. Meanwhile, the top-up dividend of 18 cents to statutory and payroll creditors, including SA Revenue Service, the relevant medical aid schemes and the Post Office retirement fund remains outstanding and payment is conditional upon the receipt of the R3.8bn funding from the National Treasury unlessnew conditions are negotiated with these creditors. These creditors need to be paid. BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Calls for independent review of Treasury's funding decisions for SA Post Office
The BRPs said that Sapo was currently operating under severe austerity measures, which curtailed its operational capacity and threaten its ongoing services. Image: Bhekikhaya Mabaso/Independent Newspapers The Deputy Minister for Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, has advocated for an independent system to review the National Treasury's decisions regarding urgent funding requirements. This call to action follows the controversial rejection by Treasury of a R3.8 billion proposed rescue package intended for the beleaguered South African Post Office (Sapo), which Gungubele on Tuesday argued had successfully navigated the business rescue process. "I wish there would be an independent system that scrutinises that. In our view, with all the calculations we have made, if we were to talk about cost-benefit analysis, had that R3.8bn been paid, a lot would have been saved rather than lost," Gungubele told the Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday. "But it is the thing of Treasury. I am saying I wish there could be an independent system to deal with such rejections or acceptance when it comes to crises of this nature." Gungubele's support for the Sapo Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs), Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Ramos, highlighted that while all necessary processes had been executed, the pivotal funding gap still loomed large. The BRPs said that Sapo was currently operating under severe austerity measures, which curtailed its operational capacity and threaten its ongoing services. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "It is not ideal but we are up to date with all our payments. Right now we are paying creditors in the course of business except of course the R120 million. In November or December, the entity will need more working capital requirement, which only would not arise if we had received the R3.8bn," Rooplal said. "We are looking at some deferral arrangement for the R520m, which is conditional upon funding. It's not a guaranteed payment to creditors." Rooplal said the delayed major portion of the rescue plan was the payment of the 18 cents per rand top up to the creditors, which once paid would have dealt with all creditors according to the plan. He said the next thing would have been to have funding towards working capital and steered toward the right investment in uplifting the structure and even that we would have worked with the incoming board. "The one aspect is around strategic private partnerships. That's in progress. That progress has been lifted up to the joint task team and rightly so because you need to involve Treasury to unlock funding and to help to assess the prospective partnerships," Rooplal said. "We believe its good governance and it is sitting with the right decision makers. We add the BRPs to the joint task team, that in a nutshell is what the dashboard looks like." "There is only literally one aspect left for us to set up the plan and that is to pay the R520m to agency and concurrent creditors, and we would be in a position to discharge. But that obviously depends on funding as we highlighted." The BRPs further detailed their financial landscape, indicating that the R7.4bn in compromised creditor claims had left the entity in a precarious position. "We would have discharged this months ago. Had the funding come in sooner, we would have been able to implement the last outstanding items," Rooplal said. "But unfortunately we had to make a plan so to speak and we had to press the entity back to austerity mode so it's really limiting our ability to expand and spend because we don't have the money to spend on anything other than keeping the lights on and basic services moving. "Currently, funding available is Universal Services Obligation funding and we all know that it must go to a specific purpose. That R572m then there is the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme funding of R381m, which has a specific purpose. We then depend on the revenue that Sapo generates on a general basis." BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
03-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Tongaat Hulett's sugar mills lead South Africa in recovery performance
Sugar cane on its way to be processed at Tongaat Hulett's Maidstone Mill. Tongaat's three South African sugar mills, Maidstone, Amatikulu and Felixton have benefited from substantial capital investment over the past three years, following years of disinvestment. Image: Karen Sandison/Independent Newspapers Tongaat Hulett's (THL) three South African sugar mills, Maidstone, Amatikulu and Felixton, which benefited from capital investment since the group went into business rescue, have ranked as the top three nationally for sugar recovery in the current sugar milling season. The recognition indicates the scale of THL's operational turnaround since entering business rescue in October 2022 - the group said in a statement Thursday its mills were now not only stable, but leading performance across the broader South African sugar sector. Tongaat Hulett CEO Gavin Dalgleish, together with the Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs), recently met with grower representatives in a series of engagements. These meetings focused on sharing updates about the company's progress under business rescue, as well as the improvements seen across its milling and refining operations. The group's three mills, refinery and animal feed plant, which had previously suffered years of under-investment, benefited from a R1.45 billion capital injection over the past three years, secured through the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). 'The result is a marked improvement in operational performance, with cane being crushed much more efficiently and reliably than before and a renewed sense of confidence among growers, staff, and industry partners,' Dalgleish said. The capital upgrades were accompanied by the recruitment of key technical staff and an investment in training and development of employees. 'The investments made were not just in machinery, but also in our people – and the results are clear. Our teams are now less focused on reactive maintenance and more focused on performance improvement. It's this shift in mindset that's powering real, sustainable change,' said Dalgleish. He said these efforts had translated into year-on-year improvements in key production and efficiency metrics for the current milling season. According to independent industry benchmarking, THL's performance in these metrics had placed its mills among the top in the country – exceeding the industry benchmark standards by a greater margin than anyone else, said Dalgleish. The benchmark standards include the recoverable value metric, which measures the value of molasses and sugar recovered from the sugarcane delivered by an individual grower, as well as the crystal recovery efficiency metric, which measures the percentage of sucrose extracted from the cane that is successfully crystallised into marketable sugar. During the meetings, it became clear that growers placed strong value on consistent, high-efficiency milling, and a reliable mill was worth more to them than any other short-term price incentives. 'Any grower would have noticed that the Maidstone mill is certainly performing better than it has in the past decade,' said Pratish Sharma, Senior Maidstone Grower and local SA Canegrowers representative. 'The investments in the mills give us great confidence that we're going to have a mill capable of crushing our crop. That is crucial, because a high-performing mill gives growers the confidence to invest in and expand their own farms,' said Sharma.
