The launch of the new VFS Centre

by Media Statements

On 29 January 2026, Consul-in-Charge, Ms Venita Smit and Mr Ranon Njokweni, Corporate Service Manager, participated in a ribbon cutting at the launch of the new VFS Centre, headed by Ms Edith Navaro, located at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, #504, Los Angeles. 

VFS centers in the United States – Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC respectively are offering the following Home Affairs services:

  • FOREIGN BIRTH REGISTRATION
    • Birth registration for first birth certificate issuance for a child born abroad
  • PASSPORT APPLICATION (New & Renewal)
    • Child 0 – 15 years of age
    • Adult 16 years and above
    • NB: Children turning 16 must apply for their first ID to be eligible to apply/renew passport.
  • FIRST ID APPLICATION (16 years of age )
    • Child aged 15 but turning 16 in the relevant year
    • 16 years and above who have not applied for their first ID

MINISTER LAMOLA CONCLUDES WORKING VISIT IN CALIFORNIA

by Media StatementsNewsNotices

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has concluded a successful Working Visit to Los Angeles, California. The visit forms part of South Africa’s priority of forward-looking economic diplomacy by actively building strategic partnerships and promote South Africa as an attractive investment destination.

Minister Lamola had productive meetings with Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), who are key players in South Africa’s bid to shore up public-private partnerships in key sectors of mutual interest. Minister Lamola highlighted a range of compelling investment opportunities in the renewable energy, technology and tourism sectors. These areas align with California’s innovation-driven, sustainability-focused agenda. The engagements included visits to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The visit powerfully showcased South Africa’s dynamic film, music, and arts sectors, leveraging Los Angeles’s creative leadership to position the nation as a premier destination for international co-productions and cultural exchange. Mobilising the South African diaspora amplifies South Africa’s “soft power,” strengthens its global brand, and fosters invaluable business linkages.

The visit culminated in an active discussion at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall. Minister Lamola used the occasion to reiterate that South Africa’s foreign policy is guided by its national interests: tackling poverty, unemployment, and inequality; the need to advance global democracy; and the rule of international law and multilateralism and the need to attain international peace.

– Source: www.dirco.gov.za