He’s responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s assertion that making it easier for people to visit South Africa will boost his economic recovery programme.

In addition to making it less onerous  for tourists to bring their children to South Africa, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba tells a media briefing in Pretoria that frequent foreign visitors will soon be able to get 10 year visas within five days of application.

His department’s also working on making it easier for Chinese and Indian visitors.

A pilot  eVisa  system making it possible to apply on-line for a visa will be introduced within seven months at O.R.Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town airports.TT

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He’s brought back ministers sacked by his predecessor Jacob Zuma that will be popular with investors and the market.

The opposition has criticized his failure to downsize the executive because, he says,  this is still under review.

ends intro

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Cabinet announcement was 90-minutes late because he had to consult with ministers who were appointed and some who were leaving.

The biggest compromise is his naming Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza as his Deputy President.

Mabuza, who is also deputy president of the ANC is credited with producing  the delegates that gave Ramaphosa his narrow victory as party leader last December.

Former finance minister Pravin Gordhan returns as Minister of Public Enterprises.

Nhlanhla Nene, sacked by Jacob Zuma, makes a comeback as Finance Minister.

ANC national chairman Gwede Mantashe, who has a background of leading a miner’s union, is appointed Minister of Mines.

Communist Party leader Blade Nzimande also makes a return to Cabinet as Transport Minister.

Lindiwe Sisulu, widely tipped to be Ramaphosa’s second-in-command, comes in a Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.

Malusi Gigaba, much criticized for his connection to the Gupta family that’s been accused of state capture with the Zuma administration, has been moved from Finance to  Home Affairs.

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Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says Donald Trump should be left to do what he believes is good for the United States while the Pretoria government  should be allowed to do what it believes is best for South Africa.

But, he says, South Africa does not agree with the measures taken by Trump to block refugees from certain countries.

The minister says South Africa has an immigration policy based on human rights, humane treatment of people in distress and African solidarity.

Gigaba says South Africa would never ban person from a certain country or because  of religious, gender or sexual orientation.

He  says it violates international law to impose a collective ban on people – except people belonging to to an organisation injurious to national interests.

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The election of President Muhammad Buhari raised the prospect of warmer relations between Africa’s two economic powers. But this has been slow in coming.

ends intro

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and Trade Minister Rob Davies will be among the hardest working members of President Jacob Zuma’s team in Nigeria on March 8.

They’ll be dealing, respectively,  with visa issues and the tough government stance on the more than 150 South African businesses in Nigeria.

Zuma will also be looking to establishing better defense ties and common positions on international relations with Nigeria at the African Union and United Nations.

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Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says Zimbabweans living illegally in South Africa, and he did not give numbers, will be subject to penalties including deportation as undocumented foreigners.

Accessing the special permit is an on-line process beginning on October 1, says Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, who believes the applicants are computer literate.

He’s urging them to wait, after filing their applications, for an invitation to present themselves at one of the 10 special centres.

He says he’s expecting long queues but he’s confident bottlenecks can be avoided.

The special permit will cost R870.

He says undocumented Zimbabweans and other SADC nationals living illegally in South Africa face deportation because they’re a burden on national resources.

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Home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba says the regime, that came into operation at the beginning of this month is in retaliation for Britain requiring all South Africa passport holders to have entry visas these past four years.
Britain promised to review this after the Commonwealth games this year but nothing’s happened.
Gigaba says South Africa’s response, is perfectly inline with diplomatic procedure.
It’s actually light because British officials and diplomats are not charged for South African visas and ordinary passport holders, who make up the vast majority of British visitors to South Africa are exempt.Sent from my iPad

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But Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says they’ve set up a working group with airlines and travel agents to ease the impact of their implementation.

Government’s determined to act against child trafficking and to maintain the balance between protecting state security and the economic benefit of welcoming business people and tourists.

Home Affairs Minister  Malusi Gigaba says government maintains an open mind on this.

He was speaking to reporters after seeing senior representatives of  the Tourism Business Council and the airline umbrella body IATA.

Gigaba says that from the beginning of next month visitors bringing children into South Africa will be required to present unabridged birth certificates or equivalent documentation for those charges.

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But Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says they’ve set up a working group with airlines and travel agents to ease the impact of their implementation.

Government’s determined to act against child trafficking and to maintain the balance between protecting state security and the economic benefit of welcoming business people and tourists.

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says government maintains an open mind on this.

He was speaking to reporters after seeing senior representatives of the Tourism Business Council and the airline umbrella body IATA.

Gigaba says that from the beginning of next month visitors bringing children into South Africa will be required to present unabridged birth certificates or equivalent documentation for those charges.

The post SA presses ahead with tough immigration regulations appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.