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Embassies in the dark over postal visa applications

Source: Tourism Update, 11/08/2016

Embassies are insisting travellers make applications for visas in
person, despite an undertaking from the Department of Home Affairs to
accept applications by post where no SA missions exist.

Despite an undertaking from the department of Home Affairs to process
visa applications by post for travellers from countries where SA has
no missions, embassies are insisting travellers make their
applications in person.

In October the department stated that within three months applications
would be accepted by post for travellers from countries where SA had
no missions, following a directive from the Inter-Ministerial
Committee (IMC) tasked with reviewing South Africa`s immigration
regulations.

"The idea is that applications will go to the nearest embassy," said
Mayihlome Tshwete, Spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs
(DHA), told Tourism Update. However, while Tshwete implied that the
visa application process would be as simple as downloading a form,
filling it out and posting it, embassies have said that applications
must be made in person. South Africa`s Embassy in Finland, which
processes visa applications for Estonians, told Tourism Update that
Estonians needed to apply for visas in person.

Similarly, South Africa`s Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, told a traveller
in contact with Tourism Update that, while they were aware of the
statement from DHA dated October 21, 2015, there had been no
implementation as yet.

Tshwete insisted that embassies had been informed. "The communique has
been issued for all embassies to accept it," he said.

David Frost, Satsa CEO, described the situation as "totally
unacceptable". "Our ability to trust government to drive economic
growth is totally non-existent," he said. Frost said that government
continually regulated and shackled businesses when what the ratings
agencies wanted to see was that government was doing something
different. He added that addressing the visa concerns would be the
first step to show ratings agencies South Africa`s willingness to make
changes.

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