Zimbabwe: Visa-Free Regime Starts

allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Visa-Free Regime Starts

6 May 2009

Harare — Zimbabweans started travelling to South Africa without visas yesterday following the scrapping of the requirement by the SA government.

However, bureaucratic hurdles slowed the implementation of the new visa-free regime.

Transporters in Harare refused to carry passengers without visas while at Beitbridge Border Post, immigration officials initially turned away such travellers before allowing them across after receiving communication to start implementing the new system.

SA Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula indicated when announcing the scrapping of the visa on Monday that although the regulations came into effect on May 1 bureaucratic hurdles could affect its implementation.

At Beitbridge Border Post, travellers started making inquiries as early as 6am.

Although they were cleared on the Zimbabwean side, scores were turned away on the South African side with officers from that country insisting they were yet to receive official communication from their head office in Pretoria.

They only started clearing travellers at around 1pm after receiving a directive from the Home Affairs director-general.

"Early in the morning an officer at the South African arrivals had indicated that they would not act on hearsay but were prepared to implement the system as soon as they were notified by their superiors," he said.

Zimbabwe's principal immigration officer at Beitbridge, Mr Dennis Chitsaka, said the new arrangement was a relief since they had been under immense pressure from people without proper travel documents who intended to travel to South Africa to seek medical treatment.

Mr Chitsaka said immigration officials started clearing Zimbabweans without visas as early as 7am but were disturbed by reports that they were being turned away on the SA side of the border.

Even when South African immigration officers started implementing the new system there were no drastic changes in South African-bound traffic from Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean officers had been clearing between 2 500 and 3 000 people each day on average and expected the numbers to increase in the next few days.

"The majority of the people cleared today are those seeking employment."

The scrapping of the visa would go a long way in dealing with corruption that had become rampant at the border among officials who were facilitating illegal migration between the two countries.

According to the new South African Immigration Regulation Number 8 of 2009, ordinary passport holders from Zimbabwe are exempted from visa requirement for visits not exceeding 90 days.

Furthermore, a blanket endorsement can be made on a visitor's permit for permission to work in terms of the Immigration Act of 2002 in respect of Zimbabwe nationals who do not qualify for work permits contemplated in the main section of that Act dealing with work permits.

Prior to the new arrangement travellers to South Africa were only allowed a visit not exceeding 30 days. Overstaying attracted a fine of R1 000 a day followed by blacklisting if one failed to pay in three months.

Regulations have also been proscribed to make sure that Zimbabweans do not exceed the stipulated time limit.

Zimbabwe's Principal Chief Immigration Officer, Mr Clemence Masango, yesterday hailed the move by SA and urged Zimbabweans to be responsible.

Speaking in an interview, he said despite the scrapping of the visa, people still had a duty to comply with the laws of their host country.

"Any violation of their national laws will naturally attract prosecution and punishment. We should be responsible and law abiding.

"We don't expect any behaviour that may undermine the efforts that have gone into this exercise. This is a development that took more than a decade to come to where we are now, requiring the patience and endurance especially on the part of the officials," he said.

He added: "The South African authorities said this facility would be reviewed after 12 months and I hope it will not then be necessary to withdraw the facility. It would be taking us backwards."

Mr Masango said the development would promote easier and free movement of people between the two countries.

He was, however, quick to emphasise that immigration officials would continue to check and make the necessary assessment of any individual's suitability for admission into the two countries. The assessment would be rigorous.

"It is in line with the spirit and scope of the Sadc protocol on the facilitation of movement of persons within the Sadc region," he said.

He said the Zimbabwean delegation which was made up of Co-Home Affairs Ministers Kembo Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa and himself initially went to South Africa for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Co-operation and Assistance on Immigration Issues when the SA minister announced the new regulation.

"Then in the course of that ceremony, the minister (Mapisa-Nqakula) announced that she was also removing visa control in respect of Zimbabwean nationals," he said.

The MOU, which was signed was for co-operation in the fight against human trafficking, human smuggling and any other cross-border crimes, and to establish a framework for capacity building and training on immigration matters.

It is also to encourage co-operation and mutual assistance in the harmonisation of laws, including, but not limited to, information technology systems, technical advice and assistance consultancy and exchange of information.

"It is also to establish a one-stop border post and co-operation on any other area of mutual interest," said Mr Masango.

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