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Man misses motherâ€™s funeral because Home Affairs could not give him a visa

Source: TimesLive, 28/03/2017

reported on Tuesday that Kierane Apollos and his family missed his
mothers funeral because they could not obtain visas in time.

The paper said that Apollos and his family are now living in New
Zealand and tried to apply for emergency visas to travel to South
Africa in time for the funeral but were told that there was no
criteria for an emergency consideration.

Times Live did not state how long the family has been living in New
Zealand or when or how they gave up their South African
passports.

Home Affairs introduced the tit-for-tat visa regulations after New
Zealand introduced laws that required all South African citizens
travelling to the Land of the Long White Cloud to apply for visa.

New Zealand publication stuff.co.nz said that the SA High Commissioner
to New Zealand Zodwa Lallie believed the government could do better to
make allowances for emergency travel.

Bilateral relations between countries are designed to enhance rather
than impede Lallie said.

Immigration officials need to consider peoples circumstances in order
to provide emergency services consideration of emergencies is given as
far as the client provides supporting documentation.

Charlene Apollos Kierans wife also claimed that they had spoken to
many people who were waiting up to a month and had still not received
visas.
She said: We are not disputing the decision to enforce the visa to
travel to SA but find it a struggle to comprehend that it will take
five to seven working days to obtain a visa in the case of an
emergency. We cannot per-empt death or any other emergency reasons to
travel.
According to TimesLive Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete could
not be reached for comment.

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