Complex regs too much for officials to administer – evidence

Source: Tourism Update, 20/07/2015

"My husband and I arrived from Namibia with our six-year-old son and
had a copy of his South African unabridged birth certificate. At SAA
in Namibia, nobody wanted to see the certificate and when asked, I was
told that they only check when both parents are not travelling with
the child. Upon arrival at ORT, the immigration officer checked the
copy of the birth certificate very thoroughly and then said she could
not accept it as the copy was certified already in 2009. Not correct,
the certificate was ISSUED in 2009, the Commissioner of Oaths who
certified the copy actually didn't put a date on it... I then asked
the lady officer how she was dealing with international, i.e. German
birth certificates, as most probably she wouldn't understand those.
She replied that was not a problem as these foreign birth certificates
were always accompanied by a letter from the Embassy? Who trains these
people? No wonder there is confusion everywhere, if everybody tells a
different story....And they have no idea what to look for in the
documentation."
Angela Matthews
"My South African friends who reside in the UK were due to leave
London for Durban last week Friday, their eldest son who is 14, was
born in South Africa and he carries his mother's surname. The younger
two were born in London and they carry their dad's surname. They all
had unabridged birth certificates and were travelling with both
parents. At Gatwick Airport, the Emirates staff turned them away,
after having tagged all their luggage and they could not offer them a
feasible explanation. They were told to go back to the travel agent
who booked their flights to sort out the issue. On contacting their
travel agent, it was reconfirmed that all their documentation was in
order and they should've travelled without any hassles. Emirates
admitted that they should not have been turned away. It's been five
days and they still haven't rebooked them on the next available flight
to Durban, South Africa. I would've thought that airlines were fully
aware and properly trained regarding the new immigration law, but this
is not the case with Emirates Airline in London."
Zaithoon Maziya

"I can confirm that our company`s group division lost a school rugby
tour for this year September to SA for a group of 85 (60 under 15s and
25 adults). Due to the pathetic regulation of certification of
children and the thus added responsibility on the teachers and school.
The tour of 14 days was valued at £1 780 per person at the exchange
rate of R19 to the pound - total of R2 874 700, without spending
money. This tour was relocated to Australia for an extra £250. We, I
believe are only one of many considering a total of 32 school group
tours travelled in 2014 from the UK to SA (applications listed with
the schools ministry). Just a drop in the ocean of decline which will
carry on until drastic change is made to the regime and the total
inability of those appointed to roles they clearly cannot handle."
Craig London
"I am a tour guide and just last week a client complained that at the
Rome Embassy the staff were completely unhelpful, slow and surly, not
a good start.
She also told me that she met another tourist who had to travel a few
hundred kilometres to Rome because the nearest Consul, in Florence,
was never available."
Carla
"We are a UK tour operator and we have lost two groups totalling 55
pax to date, due to the introduction of these regulations. We are just
one company. This must be replicated hundreds of times globally. The
arrival stats from June 1 onwards are going to be a disaster IMO."
Westie
"Our family had experience of the new visa requirements recently and
it became clear the Department of Home Affairs does not understand the
damage it is doing. My wife`s cousin, Jenny Hargreaves and her
17-year-old son, Simon, travelled to Johannesburg from London after
complying with the new requirements of an unabridged birth certificate
and the father`s verified letter of consent to the minor travelling.
The documents were checked at Heathrow and in Paris and were all in order.
On arrival at OR Tambo, they were escorted to the immigration office
and told to sit in a waiting room. They were refused entry because of
missing documentation. Mrs Hargreaves asked to see the supervisor who
explained that he could not change his mind as he would put his job at
risk, like other staff who had been dismissed for breaking the rules
.The missing document was a verified copy of the father`s passport.
Mrs Hargreaves and her son were understandably upset and she begged
the official to find a solution but they were advised that because
they had been offensive they were being sent back to London.
I and others became involved at this stage. Mr Hargreaves was
telephoned in London and he forwarded a copy of his passport before
lunchtime. They were taken under guard to the detention centre,
checked in and given a room with eight bunk beds. There were no
windows and the door was kept open with a bin. If it was closed it
could only be opened from outside.
During the day and evening I made over forty telephone calls, several
to London, trying to get some sensible solution. DA MP Mr Archie
Figlan and his secretary went out of their way to assist. Mr de Vos of
home affairs was unfailingly polite and helpful. Early in the
afternoon I was told they would not be deported and this I conveyed to
them and to the grandmother in Benoni and Mr Hargreaves in London.
Hours later I was told they had still not been released because
someone had to pay the costs of the detention. I offered to travel to
the airport to pay the amount personally but they could not tell me
how much it would be. I had discussions with Mr Themba Nkoma,
Inspector and assistant director at the airport and Mr de Vos of Home
Affairs. I said Mrs Hargreaves had money on her and should just be
asked to pay. This was not a bribe; it was the charge by the private
company running the detention centre. We agreed the money would be
paid and they would be released after their documents were processed.
I phoned Mrs Hargreaves, her mother in Benoni and her husband in
London to tell them the good news. Later, I heard she was refused
permission to pay the money. Mrs Hargreaves was told she was being
denied entry and was being deported. She phoned me and I started
trying to raise the officials. I left a message for Mr Thabo Nkoma,
expressing my own indignation at this treatment after he had told me
everything was in order.
When he returned my call he told me he did not like the threatening
tone of my message – I had said I would make him famous by issuing a
statement to the media about this situation. He invited me to interact
with the deputy director, Jacky Mackay. I pointed out that while we
spoke the Hargreaves were probably being deported. At 18h50 they were
indeed taken under escort to the plane. They were about to sit when
the chief purser called them and said they had been granted permission
to enter South Africa. Back at the detention centre they were told to
pay R1 270 for a seven-hour stay. This had to be paid in cash. No
receipt was issued but they were told one would be emailed in the
morning. After payment, they were released.
These law-abiding people, visiting South Africa for two weeks were
traumatised and abused instead of being welcomed as tourists who would
spend their pounds here and create jobs for our people."
Douglas Gibson, a former Chief Whip of the Opposition and a former
ambassador to Thailand, is a writer, political analyst and public speaker.
The Star.