Media statement on the meeting between the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba and the Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom
31 Jul 2014
The Minister of Home Affairs, Minister Malusi Gigaba and the Minister of Tourism, Minister Derek Hanekom met on Wednesday, 30 July 2014 in Cape Town to discuss the impact on the tourism sector of the new Immigration Regulations which came into effect on 26 May 2014.
Key issues raised include:
- Transit visas;
- The regulation relating to the presentation of unabridged birth certificates upon entering or departing South Africa; and
- The requirement for foreign nationals to apply for visas ‘in person'.
Ministers Gigaba and Hanekom reiterated their common understanding that:
- Enhanced security and the facilitation of tourism development are not mutually exclusive and should be managed in a way consistent with our national interest;
- The effective management of migration; the security as well as the sovereignty of South Africa reinforces growth in the tourism sector;
- The Immigration Regulations were a crucial part of continued efforts to strengthen South Africa's immigration regime;
- Tourism makes a significant contribution to job creation and economic growth, and that the tourism experience encompasses the full customer journey which starts with visa application and documentation requirements; and
- The new Immigration Regulations could have unintended consequences as well as practical implementation difficulties which should be mitigated and managed in a reasonable and constructive manner.
In respect of transit visas, the Ministers agreed that the introduction of the capacity to collect biometrics at ports of entry or within a transit facility at such ports of entry would obviate the need for such visas. The Ministers were confident that the phasing in of biometric data collection capacity at ports of entry could lead to the phasing out of transit visas.