DA calls on Minister Gigaba to abandon futile Inter-Ministerial “review” on Visa regulations
5 July 2015
The Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, must immediately put an end to the cloak and dagger Inter-Ministerial team set up to “review” the new job-killing visa regulations, and institute a substantive and wholescale review of these regulations that seeks to assess both their suitability and effect.
This follows a recent pronouncement by Minister Gigaba in which he categorically states that the visa regulations are here to stay, and that the Inter-Ministerial review team is tasked with merely ensuring the implementation of the new regulations is made easier for immigration authorities.
The DA, along with the tourism industry, has long held that these regulations are disastrous for the industry – which constitutes 9% of our GDP and employs 1.5 million South Africans – and must be abandoned. According to industry, 1 job is created for every 12 arrivals. In a country with a 36% unemployment rate, this potential to create jobs must not be jeopardised.
While the ANC government and the tourism-terminating twins, Minister Derek Hanekom and Minister Malusi Gigaba are in denial, recent statistics prove this point.