Visa regulations: Joint Sitting of DoT and DoHA needed to clarify review

5 June 2015

The DA will today approach the Chairpersons of both the Tourism and Home Affairs Portfolio Committees to request a joint sitting for both Departments to clarify whether the Visa regulations will be reviewed.

Government’s double speak in this regard does nothing but confuse potential investors, tourists and citizens alike.

This comes after the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom, announced yesterday that the DoT will be considering a review of the need for unabridged birth certificates when travelling to South Africa.

Reports also note that the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, has characterised this call by Minister Hanekom as an exaggeration. Minister Gigaba claims that unabridged birth certificates have not adversely affected the ability to travel to SA.

This confused mess created by government must be cleared up at once.

The DA has long held that these Visa regulations, in their entirety, constitute economic sabotage.

From the very outset, the DA has called for a whole-scale review of these regulations. We do note, with cautious optimism, Minister Hanekom’s announcement of a potential review. However, it is not him but Minister Gigaba who needs to immediately confirm to Parliament if there is indeed a review of the regulations on the table once and for all.

While he dithers, families are being split up at airports and the tourism industry is in decline, threatening jobs and growth. Minister Hanekom implicitly agrees that these regulations are a mess and Minister Gigaba has too, in the past, tacitly admitted that the requirement of unabridged birth certificates is problematic. This is partly why Minister Gigaba suspended the roll out till Monday, 1 June 2015.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Minister Gigaba is losing his grip on this situation. Even his colleagues in Cabinet are at odds with him. Despite numerous assurances that everything is in order, we are learning on a daily basis of the disastrous impact of these poorly thought out rules.

Minister Gigaba would do well to put his pride aside, recognise the impending crisis, and attempt to fix it.

He could do this by adhering to calls for a review of these regulations, and by giving both the Tourism and Home Affairs Portfolio Committee’s an opportunity to properly interrogate them.

The DA will not stand by while ill-conceived regulations threaten our economy, and job creation.

Statement issued by James Vos MP, DA Shadow Minister of Tourism, June 5 2015