The government has extended its pilot e-visa system to 14 countries, home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in the National Assembly on Wednesday when introducing the debate on his budget vote.
The system is expected to overcome the obstacles in obtaining visas and facilitate the flow of foreign visitors to SA, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic has passed and foreign tourism begins to take off again.
Tourism is a major contributor to economic growth and job creation and was badly affected when SA demanded certified, unabridged birth certificates for foreign child travellers and required prospective Chinese visitors to apply for their visas in person.
The e-visa system was first introduced for Kenya, then extended to China, India and Nigeria — which Motsoaledi said represent one-third of the world’s population — and now to 10 other countries: Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mexico, Uganda, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Philippines and Pakistan.
Most of the countries not mentioned by the minister, such as the majority in Western Europe, all countries in the Southern African Development Community, as well as North America, Brazil, Russia and seven other countries, have visa-free status with SA so do not need the e-visa system.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his state of the nation address in February that SA would undertake a full rollout of e-visas to visitors from these countries as part of the government’s Operation Vulindlela, which focuses on the structural reforms needed to reignite the economy. It also includes reforms to SA’s visa and immigration regime to attract skills and grow the tourism sector.
Motsoaledi told MPs that a pilot project for the rollout of the biometric movement control system has been undertaken at OR Tambo International Airport. Ten e-gates have been installed at Cape Town International Airport and testing is taking place on SA travellers entering and leaving the country. The department of home affairs is working with Airports Company SA and the transport department to implement e-gates at three major international airports.
Border Management Authority
The minister also dealt with the establishment of the Border Management Authority (BMA) that will combine law enforcement agencies and other border control departments — except for Sars — under one organisation. The enabling legislation has been promulgated, an acting commissioner has been appointed, and the department of home affairs is to apply for a presidential proclamation for the transfer of relevant border law enforcement functions and staff to the BMA.
A budget of R120m has been allocated this year for its implementation.
“We intend that, by the end of this financial year, a BMA will be operational at at least 11 ports of entry as well as 10 segments of the border,” Motsoaledi said.
DA home affairs spokesperson Angel Khanyile called on Motsoaledi to step down because his department’s performance keeps on deteriorating. She cited the example of long queues at departmental offices, a problem raised by a number of opposition MPs, including those of the EFF, IFP and the African Christian Democratic Party.
Khanyile also criticised the department’s failure to deal with SA’s porous borders. Freedom Front Plus spokesperson on home affairs Jaco Mulder was also critical of the department’s performance on service delivery.
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