THE UK won’t be influenced by SA’s
Minister of Home Affairs’ attempt
to ‘persuade’ them to scrap visa
requirements for all South African
travellers.
In an on-going tit-for-tat response
to the introduction of visa
requirements on all South Africans
by the UK in 2010, Malusi Gigaba
late last month announced that
all officials and diplomats of the
UK would now have to apply for
a visa in person at the SA High
Commission in Britain before visiting
SA. Other British passport holders
do not yet require a visa to visit
South Africa.
The minister said: “The
department and government at
large have attempted over the years
to persuade British authorities to
review their visa requirements. At
our end, we will continue to engage
with our British counterparts to
change their stance on this matter.
Obviously, on our part, the first is a
full exemption for all South African
passport holders, but at the least
we can start with exempting the
Diplomatic and Official passport
holders.”
Despite SA adopting a “principle
of reciprocity”, the UK is unlikely to
change its stance. Isabel
Potgieter, spokesperson for
the British High Commission
in Pretoria, told TNW the
High Commission respected
the right of South Africa to
determine its immigration
policies but that, although
the UK would continue
to work closely with
South Africa on migration
and border issues, the
country determined visa
requirements based on
strict criteria and existing
circumstances. “This is true
with South Africa as with all
countries around the world.”
Isabel added: “The
UK-South Africa bilateral
relationship is deep and
broad-based, with close
co-operation across a
wide range of issues from
foreign policy and trade,
to science and innovation,
climate change, and cultural
relations and we are
confident this relationship
will continue to strengthen
and grow.
