South Africa won’t beg UK over visas

Tit-for-tat response ... Malusi Gigaba Add caption

SOUTH Africa is still hoping that the British government will reintroduce a visa exemption for South Africans travelling to the UK although SA is by no means on its knees over the issue, the country's Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has said.

Gigaba’s position follows the introduction of visa requirements for British government officials and diplomats in September.
The requirement is a tit-for-tat response to the introduction of visa requirements on all South Africans by the UK.

The minister told reporters in Pretoria that the South African government had tried to resolve the matter with the UK by seeking a visa-requirement exemption for South African diplomats and officials but "those efforts were in vain".
"We engaged the British government to understand the rationale and make them reconsider or at least exempt officials and diplomats. When engagements were in vain we then decided to reciprocate as an international principle but exempted ordinary citizens of the UK," Gigaba said.

Officials and diplomats of the UK would have to apply for a visa in person at the SA high commission in Britain before visiting SA, Gigaba said.
He also said SA did not understand why Britain had introduced the requirements but dismissed the argument that the South African passport was not secure.
SA would consider reviewing requirements for British officials and diplomats if the UK was prepared to review their requirements on travellers from SA, said Gigaba.

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