Countries in the SADC region will be forced to petition South African government over its new visa regulations, which require children under the age of 18 to produce an Unabridged Birth Certificate at all ports of entry, a senior Government official said.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi said the new system will pose myriad of problems to the region’s tourism since South Africa is the main port of entry for travellers.
“The new visa system pose serious problem for Zimbabwe and the rest of the sub Saharan countries because South Africa is a source market for countries in the region.
“Zimbabwe’s 70% tourists enter through the South African port and the same applies to all countries in SADC,” he said adding that, “by extension anyone who comes to SA will also come to Zimbabwe.”
Addressing journalists in the capital last week, Minister Mzembi once again reiterated his agony over the new system which requires unaccompanied or minors travelling with one parent to produce an unabridged birth certificate.
He contends that the system will cripple the tourism sector.
“We feel aggrieved by the South African Passport Documentation Act which compels countries that are visa free and South Africans themselves to produce unabridged birth certificates.
The system which is designed to check human trafficking is said to have unintended and negative consequences on the South African tourism as well as other countries’ tourism sectors.
“South Africa has registered a decline of 30% in the tourism sector and the region at large is also bearing the brunt of this new visa system.
Countries like China have already started cancelling flights to South Africa.
Meanwhile various tourism ministers who convened at the Sanganai/ Hlanganani Tourism Expo held recently held in Harare registered their anger over this new visa system.
Tourism Ministers from Zambia, DRC, Zimbabwe, South Africa & Mozambique + Zimbabwean Health Minister
