Pupils bribed over travel documents, according to new claim

Source: by Wyndham Hartley,- Business Day, 26/08/2015

THE Department of Home Affairs and a travel agents` association are
wrangling over a claim that an immigration official has been suspended
for soliciting bribes from a group of minors, in an apparent bid to
cash in on the desperate need for extra documentation.


The Association of Southern African Travel Agents (Asata) reported on
Tuesday that an alleged fraud, who tried to solicit fines from minors
at OR Tambo International Airport claiming they had the wrong
documents to travel in terms of the new Immigration Act, had been
suspended following a rapid response by Asata.


The airport official was said to have approached a group of
schoolgirls travelling on a student exchange after they had
successfully checked in and presented all documentation to check-in
staff.


But a spokesman for home affairs said last night it could find no
trace of the incident and believed it was part of attempts to
discredit the new visa regulations. Tens of thousands of children had
been processed though OR Tambo without any problem, he said.


In terms of the new regulations, travelling minors need an unabridged
birth certificate to either enter or leave the country.


The regulations have been under fire for harming the tourism sector
and for damaging the country`s investment climate. Some commentators
have claimed there have been significant reductions in the number of
foreign visitors, particularly from China.


So serious have the complaints been that President Jacob Zuma has
established a special interministerial committee, led by Deputy
President Cyril Ramaphosa, to deal with the "unintended consequences"
of the regulations.


The girls were "allegedly forced to accompany the official to an
`interview` room and were denied access to a female official, leaving
them traumatised and distressed", Asata said. "According to the
victims, the official claimed they did not have the correct paperwork
to travel and demanded a R500 `fine` be paid before being allowed to
depart SA. This is despite their documents having been vetted
previously by their travel agent and accepted by the airline staff
upon check-in as valid."


The association said the agent acting for the girls, upon hearing of
the incident, escalated the matter to Asata "which in turn ensured it
was dealt with speedily through the correct channels".


Asata CEO Otto de Vries said: "It is so important that travellers
fully understand what their rights are and that this kind of behaviour
from an official is unacceptable.


"We would urge members of the public to inform themselves about the
full requirements of the immigration legislation, consult with their
Asata travel agent to ensure they comply, and refer any similar
incidents to the association so that these may be dealt with swiftly
and effectively.


"We simply cannot have situations where the officials in whom we place
our trust undermine the process and cause our travellers undue
distress," Mr de Vries said. The incident seemed to be the first of
its kind and there was no indication it had happened before.