SA Migration International

News Articles

No need to fire Gigaba - Ramaphosa

Source: News24 Thulani Gqirana, 12/11/2015

Cape Town - There was no need to fire home affairs minister Malusi
Gigaba over visa regulations, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa told
Parliament on Thursday.

He was answering questions on the inter-ministerial committee`s
recommendations regarding South Africa's new visa regulations.

Taking Members of Parliament (MPs) through the recommendations, which
include relaxing some requirements like needing to apply for visas in
person, the deputy president said the government had listened to the
cries of tourists and tourism companies.

EFF and DA MPs called for Gigaba`s head over the loss of income and
jobs due to the visa regulations.

Under the new visa regulations, which came into effect in June,
parents could not travel in and out of the country with their minors
if they did not have an unabridged birth certificate as well as a
passport.

In addition to the documents, both parents had to provide consent for
children to travel. Consent was required from a single parent only if
the other parent did not acknowledge paternity.

If both parents` names were on the unabridged birth certificate, the
child could not travel without both their consent.

However, these were amended in October and it was no longer mandatory
for inbound travellers from visa-exempt countries to carry unabridged
birth certificates for accompanying minors.

DA MP James Vos said the regulations had cost the country more than 5
000 jobs and billions in revenue and asked if the president would
consider firing Gigaba.

EFF MP Marshall Dlamini said government was "famous for doing first
and thinking later", accusing Gigaba of doing this and asked if he
would be fired.

This did not sit well with Ramaphosa, who told the MPs he did not have
hiring and firing powers.

"As far as I`m concerned there is no reason to take any action against
Gigaba, because the government has demonstrated the concerns ...
raised by the tourism industry were listened to. We are a listening
government and these processes were amended so we can make ease of
travel in South Africa."

Search

Latest News

... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...

If you are visiting SA or already here on a visa, take this as a public-interest warning. In 2025, a quiet, but sharp, shift has taken hold inside parts of home affairs adjudication ranks: applications are being refused almost mechanically if they were not submitted at least 60 days before visa expiry.A wave of refusals repeating near-identical wording:The applicant did not submit his/her application no less than 60 days prior to the expiry date of his/her.

The rigid application of this rule, devoid of consideration for mitigating circumstances, raises serious concerns about the fairness and legality of such administrative decisions.

... Read more...

... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...
... Read more...