SOUTH AFRICA REVERSES VISA RULES AFTER ARRIVALS TAKE A HIT
(Posted 25th October 2015)
While discussing various issues surrounding the low level of intra African travel at this year’s Sanganani Tourism Trade Fair in Harare did the Ministerial Panel also respond to questions asked by the audience and the assembled media and in particular did South Africa’s Minister for Tourism Derek Hanekom feel the heat over the restrictive Visa rules issued by his country.
Already then did Minister Hanekom express his personal disagreement with a number of the Visa regulations, which in his words were not helpful to bring more tourists into South Africa, leave alone more tourists from other African countries. He did at one stage in fact pledge to take up the matter – the sentiment in the room was extremely strong at the time – with the government when back home, and lo and behold, he really did.
News broke yesterday that South Africa has revised a number of elements in the country’s Visa policy, including removing the need for an ‘unabridged birth certificate’ for visitors with young children. Biometric Visa applications can now be lodged on arrival again, or so it is understood, as the previous requirement for Visa in advance for many nationalities clearly left a dent in the hitherto growing number of visitors to the country.
Risen to fame for hosting the Cricket, the Rugby and finally the FIFA World Cup did the country, inspite of a spiraling crime rate, enjoy fast tourism growth but the xenophobic attacks on foreigners, notably Africans, left the image of South Africa tainted and the travel trade from around the world began to hesitate sending visitors there, compounded by the Visa regulations.
It is clear that Minister Hanekom’s intervention on cabinet level, prompted by the feedback he got at Sanganai in June this year, was taken seriously and he needs to be congratulated for being a man of action, living up to his promises.
Clarification has been sought in the meantime if East Africans – apart from Tanzanians who are exempted from Visa altogether under a bilateral SADC deal – will now be able to obtain Visa on arrival again or if they still have to apply in advance, something which in particular in Kenya has raised the heat and resulted earlier in the year in a short lived tit for tat response before both countries pulled back from the brink and lifted certain restrictive clauses in their respective Visa regulations.
