Crippling visa regs to fall?

A ‘COMPROMISE’
solution for the
new immigration
regulations is expected
at the end of this month
but an exact date as to
when the government will
address the “unintended”
consequences of the new
crippling immigration and
visa regulations has yet to
be announced.
The expectation is
that the inter-ministerial
committee (IMC) will
propose that biometric visa
applications be made on
arrival in South Africa, the
Financial Mail reported on
October 20. The report also
stated that the committee
was expected to announce
that only South African
children leaving or entering
the country needed to
carry an unabridged birth
certificate.
However, neither the
Department of Home
Affairs nor the Presidency
could confirm or deny
the information. DHA
spokesperson, Mayihlome
Tshwete, referred TNW to
the Presidency for more
clarity on the matter. At
the time of going to print,
the Presidency had not
yet responded to TNW’s
questions.
Meanwhile, the Tourism
Business Index thirdquarter
results from the
TBCSA show that business
confidence is at a worrying
low, with the second
lowest results reported
since 2010. This drop
in confidence is largely
attributed to the national
government’s failure in
responding to concerns
with regard to the visa
regulations, says DA
Western Cape provincial
spokesperson on economic
opportunities, tourism
and agriculture, Beverly
Schäfer.
“We now see that the
government was completely
unprepared for the
results of their onerous
regulations. I therefore call
on the deputy president to
act against Malusi Gigaba’s
relentless insistence to
destroy one of the most
important job creators in
South Africa,” she says.
Shadow Minister of
Tourism, James Vos, told
TNW: “The deputy president
must immediately put an
end to the cloak-and-dagger
inter-ministerial team set
up to ‘review’ the new jobkilling
visa regulations, and
institute a substantive and
wholescale review of these
regulations that seeks to
assess both their suitability
and effect.”
 An inter-ministerial task
team was appointed in
August this year under
the leadership of
Deputy President, Cyril
Ramaphosa, to deal with
the new immigration
regulations as a “matter of
urgency”.
“There has been
absolutely no news from
the committee so far
nor has the committee
consulted the industry.
We wait at the sidelines
as paupers,” says David
Frost, ceo of Southern
Africa Tourism Services
Association.