DA calls for investigation into immigration regs

DA SHADOW Minister of
Tourism, James Vos,
will submit an official
complaint to the Tourism
Complaints Officer, Mirriam
Setwaba, to investigate and
address the Department of
Home Affairs’ “draconian
visa regulations”, which came
into effect on June 1.
The regulations include
the requirement for minors
travelling into and out of South
Africa to produce unabridged
birth certificates.
An angered James told TNW
that the Home Affairs Portfolio
Committee, which he attended
on May 26, was adamant
that the new regulations
should be implemented. “An
estimated 20% of air travel
in South Africa includes
families and children, and this
will obviously be negatively
impacted should the
regulations come into effect,”
he said. “We cannot afford to
negatively impact an industry
that contributes 9% to the
country’s GDP.”
At the Portfolio Committee,
James argued that Chapter
18 of the Children’s Act be
implemented rather than the
regulations that were due to
come into effect in five days’
time. “You cannot go ahead
with new regulations without
a proper assessment of the
impact.”
He said he had asked the
Committee whether proper
regulatory methods had
been undertaken before
the decision was made to
implement these regulations
and who had been consulted.
He said he was told “the
meeting was not about that”,
rather, it was about child
trafficking.
“It is completely misleading
to say the tourism industry
has been consulted in the
implementation of these
regulations because this
Committee is clearly refusing
to listen to the industry,” he
said. “The industry has not
had the opportunity to sit
down with Home Affairs to
unpack the real implications
of these regulations.”
James will be taking his
complaints to the Tourism
Complaints Officer of South
Africa, who he said must
address the following:
 Whether such onerous
regulations are international
best practice;
 Which other countries have
instituted similar regulations
and what impact this has
had;
 Whether a proper economic
and regulatory impact
assessment was undertaken
prior to the regulations being
drafted; and
 Why there were no
formal engagements
with any tourism industry
associations.