ANC acting like a bully on UK visas

Thanks to the rampant corruption within the Department of Home Affairs the United Kingdom (UK) withdrew its visa-free status to South Africans entering the UK since 2009. This did not happen out of the blue as there had been concerns before that in this regard.

Government reacted with surprise, as if it was new that there were doubts about the integrity of South African passports.  Weak administration and corruption within the Department made it easy for foreigners to acquire South African passports; authentic and “legal” ones at that. South Africans are now forced to pay over R1000,00 for short-term visitors’ visas for the UK.

At a question session to the Minister in Parliament, Minister Naledi Pandor advised us that the UK had committed to look at this matter after the London Olympics. There appears to be no progress on this matter.  In the meantime thousands of South Africans travelling to the UK are confronted with expensive visas.

Instead of continuing to tighten our systems and intensifying our discussions with UK authorities; the ANC does what it does best: by acting like a big bad bully.  The Ministry is now making a noise.  Minister Pandor was recently quoted as saying that her department to apply the same rules to UK visitors where “the international practice of reciprocity should apply as a principle”.

Interestingly enough, the Minister’s comments come in the wake of the British government’s decision to halt development aid to South Africa worth £19m (R271 million) from 2015.

The fact that the UK is SA’s biggest overseas tourist market seems to escape Pandor.

Should the Minister’s threats become reality it will indeed affect tourism, and therefore income which has implications for our economy.  Tourist will simply choose other more tourist-entry destination.

These proposed steep fees to obtain visas will also have negative implications on business between the 2 countries.  Additionally, the largest South African expatriate community is in the UK; here too expensive visas will affect friends and families in the 2 countries.

As much as the ANC may want to wish it away the relationship between South Africa and the United Kingdom is a special and unique one.  We have cultural, historical, and even diplomatic ties.  Introducing a “tit-for-tat” attitude simply does not party any good