Maimane: `Suspend visa regulations with immediate effect`

Source: RDM News Wire, 14/08/2015

"This is more than just an `unintended consequence`‚ but an economic
catastrophe that requires more than the establishment of an IMC – it
requires immediate action to prevent further job losses. (Home
Affairs) Minister (Malusi) Gigaba must act immediately to save tourism
jobs‚" Maimane said


President Jacob Zuma referred to them as "unintended consequences".
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane instead chose to call
them an "economic catastrophe".


Maimane on Friday led a protest outside the Department of Home Affairs
in Pretoria against demanding the suspension of "job-killing" visa
regulations "with immediate effect".


"This week‚ President Zuma announced the establishment of an
Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Immigration Regulations to
address what he referred to as the `unintended consequences` the new
regulations have had on tourism and investment‚" Maimane said.


He said the decision to assign Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa – who
also answered questions on the matter in the National Assembly this
week – to the IMC "reflects a clear recognition that the new
regulations are causing major damage".


"This is more than just an `unintended consequence`‚ but an economic
catastrophe that requires more than the establishment of an IMC – it
requires immediate action to prevent further job losses. (Home
Affairs) Minister (Malusi) Gigaba must act immediately to save tourism
jobs‚" Maimane said.


He said his party "recognises the need to protect our borders‚ but it
is vital for our economic survival that we strike a balance between
this need and the need to promote South Africa as a tourism and
investment destination".


That the latter was being negatively impacted could be seen in figures
released by StatsSA that apparently "showed that the total number of
visitors is down by 7%"‚ he said.


"The number of tourists from China has declined by 38%‚ while the
number from India dropped by 13%. This amounts to almost 12000 less
tourists from these two countries alone‚" Maimane quoted.


He said his party came to Pretoria with a memorandum addressed to
Gigaba‚ demanding that he:


- "Repeal the requirement in the regulations that makes in-person visa
applications for biometrics mandatory‚ replacing it with biometrics
upon arrival;


- "Suspend the unabridged birth certificate requirement until a proper
evidence-based study into the scale of child trafficking is completed; and
- "Allocate a significant portion of the Department of Tourism`s
budget to an international marketing campaign to repair the damage
done to our tourism industry in recent months."


Protecting the tourism industry was paramount‚ argued Maimane‚ as it
"makes up 9% of our GDP and is the only industry that has shown
consistent growth through the economic slowdown experienced over the
past five years".


"We simply cannot afford to wait for committees to meet – and report
back – while jobs are being lost. We urge Minister Gigaba to suspend
the visa regulations with immediate effect‚" he said.