Following an online backlash, the South African Presidency has come out to clarify the comment by President Cyril Ramaphosa that visa regulations for Nigerian tourists coming to the country would be eased.
The clarification has eased the pressure on Ramaphosa who was already facing an online backlash for suggesting that in order to ease the flow of people between South Africa and Nigeria, the process would be simplified.
“We want to see Nigerian products on the shelves of South African shops… Nigerian tourists can now apply for a visa without submitting a passport,” Ramaphosa said yesterday during a bi-national commission between South Africa and Nigeria which was held in Cape Town.
Operation Dudula, a grouping of some South Africans who are against illegal immigration and have been pushing out foreign nationals from the spaza industry, sharply criticised Ramaphosa for the undertaking.
“Cyril Ramphosa and the ANC have opened entry into South Africa for Nigerians. They no longer need passports. Our communities are dead,” the group said on X (Twitter) shortly after Ramaphosa’s undertaking went viral.
The Presidency also issued a statement to clarify the statement when it became clear that most social media users were not pleased with easing travel restrictions for Nigerians, which some claimed are “troublesome people.”
“Prospective travellers can apply for their visas without submitting their passports along with their applications – at the time of application, they are only required to submit certified copies of the biopage of their passports, and their actual passports should also be availed during the application process for verification and confirmation.
“Once a visa has been approved, they are required to submit their passports for the process to be completed and for the visa to be affixed in the passport,” the presidency said amid a growing online backlash.
During a Bi-National Commission meeting between South Africa and Nigeria in Cape Town on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said Pretoria had relaxed visa restrictions and introduced a multiple entry visa for qualifying business people to improve trade between the two countries. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the announcement and urged the two African powerhouses to cooperate and ignore doomsayers who are out to damage their relationship.
