Home Affairs is reinstating transit visa requirements for Bangladeshi and Pakistani ordinary passport holders with immediate effect, said Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Thursday.
Motsoaledi said the SA passport has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent months, sighting the example of a Bangladeshi national called Lebohang.
“Firstly, on the 24 March 2022 in our Krugersdorp office the nation saw us apprehending a Pakistani national and arresting him with some South African citizens and corrupt Home Affairs officials,” said Motsoaledi.
“All these people were working together to defraud the SA passport. Secondly and immediately thereafter, the story of ‘Lebogang from Bangladesh’ made headlines all over the media, including on social media.
“Passengers from the two countries were caught attempting to enter into South Africa illegally by sneaking in through fire hydrant passages at the airport while on the way to the transit lounge to continue to other countries. In so doing, they try to evade immigration and other law-enforcement officers at the port of entry, thus undermining the security and sovereignty of the state.”
He said stories like these turned South Africa into a joke and added that this state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. The department is therefore introducing measures to secure the integrity of the passport and make it foolproof against fraudulent acquisition.
This means that all travelers using ordinary passports issued by Bangladesh and Pakistan authorities are required to apply for a visa when transiting through South Africa to other countries.
“The reintroduction of transit visas is one of the practical and strong interventions we are making in our ongoing efforts of strengthening entry requirements at our airports. It also underscores our resolve to stop people from undermining our systems.
“Authorities of Bangladesh and the Republic of Pakistani have been informed of this decision through South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.”
Other stringent measures stipulate that a passport can no longer be collected by a third party. “A passport can only be collected strictly from the office where it was applied for. Only the person who applied for that passport can come and collect it by activating it through a fingerprint.
“For minor children, their parents or guardians who helped them to apply for that passport will be the only ones allowed to come and collect it and activate it using their own fingerprints,” said Motsoaledi.
He reiterated that there is no such thing as an emergency passport.
“There is nothing called an emergency passport for any South African travelling to another country. The so-called emergency passport is actually a hand-written document available only to a South African who is stranded in another country. This document allows them to return home and when they arrive, its usefulness comes to an abrupt end.
“For any South African wishing to go to other countries, they have to apply for a passport following regular processes. We are, however, able to produce a passport in five to 13 days. Under certain, select circumstances, we may produce a passport within 24 hours,” he said, adding that the exercise is rare and costs an arm and a leg.
The department is also recruiting 10 000 unemployed young graduates for the digitisation of its civic paper records. In honour of women’s month, 60% of the intake will be young women and only 40% will be young men.
“These unemployed youth should be qualified in information technology and document, information and records management obtained from institutions of higher learning [universities, universities of technology, TVETs].
“The project will run over a three-year period effective from November 2022 until October 2025. Successful youth will be paid a stipend ranging from R5 000 for entry-level positions to R9 500 for technical support-level positions and R14 250 for manager-level positions.
Also Read: Bangladeshi national nabbed while escaping with fake passport
Lebogang the Bangladeshi caught in Home Affairs’ anti-graft net
Official who issued a passport to “Lebogang” from Bangladesh has been arrested
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