Zimbabwe President Hakainde Hichilema has sparked conversation across Africa after urging the European Union and the United Kingdom to refund visa application fees to unsuccessful applicants, highlighting a concern that continues to affect many Africans, including Zimbabweans, on a daily basis.
According to zimeye, thousands of Zimbabweans apply each year for visas to the United Kingdom and Europe for study, business, tourism, family visits and medical treatment. Many spend money they can barely afford.
A single visa application can cost hundreds of pounds once agency fees, transport, bank statements, accommodation bookings and travel insurance are included. Yet when the application is rejected, the applicant loses everything.
For an ordinary Zimbabwean family, a rejected visa is not just a disappointment. It means the loss of school fees, savings or money borrowed from relatives. Many sell cattle, dip into retirement funds or borrow at high interest in the hope of securing an opportunity abroad. When the visa is denied, there is often no meaningful explanation and certainly no refund.
The figures are staggering. Africans are estimated to have lost more than US$70 million in rejected European visa fees and a further £44 million on rejected United Kingdom applications in 2024 alone. This is money taken from people who received no service beyond a rejection letter.
Zimbabweans are among those carrying this burden. Yet unlike Zambia, there has been little public pressure from Harare. President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his government cannot remain silent while Zimbabwean citizens continue to lose millions through a system that many see as unfair and exploitative.
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No one is arguing that countries should be forced to issue visas. Every nation has the right to control its borders. But there is a strong case that when an application is rejected, most of the fee should be returned. Governments in Europe and Britain could keep a small administrative charge, perhaps 20 or 30 percent, while refunding the rest. That would be fairer and more transparent.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa should raise the matter through diplomatic channels and within regional bodies such as Southern African Development Community and the African Union. Zimbabwe, together with other African countries, should push for a new agreement with the United Kingdom and the European Union on visa fees. African citizens deserve a process that is transparent, consistent and not designed to profit from rejection.
When Europeans were conquering much of the world, they did not arrive with visas. They came with guns, bullets andforce, crossing borders they had no permission to enter. That historical reality makes today’s harsh and expensive barriers for Africans seeking lawful travel feel even more unjust.
Zimbabweans already face enough economic hardship at home. They should not also be punished for daring to apply for an opportunity abroad. The time has come for Harare to stand up for its citizens and demand fairness.
