Late last week while delivering his latest State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa said that a new digital system for visa applications is on the cards for October.
According to ENCA, the e-visa is part of the government’s service to make it easier for tourists to travel to South Africa, as well as for companies to acquire employees with scarce skills.
“We will make good on our ambition to more than double international tourism arrivals to 21 million by 2010, this will be achieved through the renewal of the country’s brand introducing a world-class visa regime and a significant focus on key markets,” said Ramaphosa during his SONA address.
“We are now at the stage where we are doing functional testing, once the functional testing is done, we will then do a proper pilot with a few countries, once that pilot is complete we will then be able to go into production,” added acting director general of Home Affairs, Thulani Mavuso.
Furthermore Home Affairs says that the visa system will enable investment in South Africa while also making it efficient to admit people with scarce skills without compromising the country’s security.
Whether they can indeed meet such a deadline remains to be seen.
By Nokulunga Xala
Source: htxt.co.za
