Minister mum on UK visas
2008-02-12 21:05
Cape Town - Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Tuesday declined to be drawn into newspaper reports suggesting that the British government is considering stripping South Africa of its "visa-free" status.
She was responding to Democratic Alliance MP Mark Louw's question on the matter during the tabling of the Home Affairs Department's annual report before the national assembly's Home Affairs committee.
Mapisa-Nqakula said she would only respond after she had received communication from the British government.
"It has not been officially brought to me by the British government... and therefore I have nothing to report on the matter.
"Once there is something formal from the UK government, then I can report on that," she said.
The British government is said to be considering stripping South Africa of its "visa-free" status this year because of rampant corruption in the Department of Home Affairs.
According to newspaper reports, South Africans would have to fork out nearly R1 000 and provide fingerprints, "facial biometrics" and travel documents to get visas.
South Africa leapt to the top of the British government's visa "hit list" last month following a British trial which heard that at least 6 000 illegal Asian immigrants had been smuggled in on South African passports.
Last week Sir Stephen Lander, chairperson of Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, told Britain's Home Affairs Committee that the case "is likely" to lead to visa controls being placed on all South Africans.
- SAPA