Bok pressure on France visas
2007-10-10 19:17
Johannesburg - The French Consulate in Johannesburg is under pressure to process visas for South Africans who want to attend the Rugby World Cup currently underway in France, it said on Wednesday.
The Consulate issued a statement in which it said it was doing its best to ensure that all visa applications were dealt with.
It said: "The increasing numbers of group applications introduced at the last moment, particularly through local agencies, are, however, putting pressure on the technically- limited processing capacities of the Consulate-General."
It was therefore dealing with applications according to scheduled dates of departure and would give priority to individual applicants until further notice.
"The Consulate-General wishes to apologise for the temporary inconvenience created by queues at its premises and inevitable delays," it said.
The Consulate said it was very pleased with the increasing interest South Africans were showing in France.
The Springboks will play against Argentina in the Rugby World Cup semi-final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
- SAPA