DA reiterates calls for E-visa's as SA missions run out of visa papers
2 March 2015
A recent report has indicated that the South African missions in China have run out of the visa papers needed to issue visas to Chinese travellers (see report).
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has consistently called for an e-visa system and biometrics on arrival to facilitate easier access for tourists to South Africa. I will therefore write to the Director-General of the Department of Tourism (DoT), Kingsley Makhubela, asking when his department will complete the study, announced on 24 October 2014, looking into introducing an e-visa system.
A study commissioned by the Tourism and Business Council of South Africa on the impact of the new immigration regulations, which require in-person visa applications, indicates that the country may lose 270 000 international tourists and in turn lose 21 000 jobs each year - costing the country R9.7 billion.
The DA is in favour of e-visas and biometrics on arrival for the following reasons: