The UK’s foreign secretary William Hague said after a meeting in Cape Town “progress (was) made in enhancing border security”.
Annoying – and expensive – British visa requirements were introduced in 2008 in the wake of terrorist activity to tighten UK border security. Not only do SA visitors to the UK need visas, the working holiday visa for young people was scrapped and requirements for other tiers of visas tightened. At the time the UK also argued that the SA passport was not secure and that many none Saffas made it into the UK with false SA passports. SA was warned about this several times, to no avail.
SA’s international relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told reporters she had received good feedback from migration officials. “We encourage them to quicken their steps, because this is just one small hindrance which can be attended to and they committed that they are giving it attention.”
Let’s hope we need not wait another year or ten to hear about the “progress”.
