26 Jun How Do We Restore Integrity of South African Passport?
The once-respected South African passport has faced significant challenges in the past few years. Historically, South Africa has enjoyed visa-free travel to Ireland. This has now been threatened due to the credibility of the South African passport and could potentially have a huge impact on South Africans travelling abroad.
Lester Kiewit spoke with immigration lawyer June Luna to discuss what needs to be done to restore the integrity of the South African passport.
Ireland’s Review of Visa Requirements
Currently, South Africans do not need a visa to visit Ireland, which has made Ireland a popular destination to visit. However, this privilege is in danger of being revoked due to numerous cases of foreign nationals fraudulently obtaining South African passports and arriving in Ireland, seeking asylum.
According to June Luna, “At the moment, South Africans don’t need a visa to travel to Ireland. South Africans are allowed to stay in Ireland for 90 days (3 months) visa-free. This is unheard of in most of Europe, where a visa is required for South Africans to enter.” Originally, the UK had a similar travel arrangement, which was later abandoned and replaced with strict visa requirements for South Africans.
Ministers in Ireland are reportedly discussing potentially ending the visa-free travel arrangement with South Africa. This is partly due to Ireland’s campaign to clamp down on asylum applications. According to the Irish Department of Justice, 198 non-South Africans have applied for asylum in Ireland with South African passports.
The Republic of Ireland is one of only a few European countries where South Africans can travel without requiring a visa. It is also the only Western European country that has a visa-free policy with South Africa.
Irish Visas for South Africans
June Luna explained, “All the news is pointing towards South Africans now needing an Irish visa to enter Ireland. This could change in the next few months when they do the policy review for immigration in Ireland, including reviewing their asylum-seeking laws.”
It’s a popular travel destination for South Africans, as a significant number of South Africans are working and living in Ireland, and many go over to visit family and friends. If the new laws come into place, this will have a major impact on the free flow of travel to Ireland, possibly greatly reducing the number of travellers to the country.
June Luna explains, “It’s going to have a huge impact. Anyone who’s had to apply for a UK visa or a Schengen visa knows how incredibly stressful it is.”
A Schengen visa is an entry permit for non-European nationals. The visa is only valid for 90 days within 180 days. When applying for these visas, one has to wait for the approval of the visa before being able to travel. This will undoubtedly hinder a lot of travel to Ireland if it is implemented.
Fraudulent Passports
According to Clayson Monyela, the Head of South African Public Diplomacy, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is working with the Irish government to address its legitimate concerns.
Several Department of Home Affairs officials have been arrested for selling these documents. This would not be the first time. One of the reasons the UK introduced visa requirements for South Africans is because there were many people found travelling on fake South African passports and documents who were not South Africans. Once arriving in the UK, they would either overstay their welcome or request asylum.
June Luna states, “At the moment, a South African can get 90 days of travel free in Ireland. But the problem is that a lot of people do obtain fraudulent South African passports.”
Last month, the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsaoladi, published an article discussing how another Home Affairs official was caught selling South African passports to foreign nationals. The article states that the Home Affairs official was only earning R5,000 per passport that was sold.
So, it’s a huge systemic problem and a big concern. A lot of foreign nationals have obtained passports, travelled to Europe illegally, and stayed over.”
A famous case was that of Samantha Lewthwaite, also known as the ‘White Widow,’ a British national who took part in the 2013 terrorist attacks in Kenya. She held a South African passport which she was not entitled to.
June continues, “Ireland is legitimately concerned about how easy it is to get a South African passport when you’re not entitled to one.”
Restoring the Integrity of the South African Passport
Restoring the integrity of the South African passport is a complex process. As Lester puts it,
“How does South Africa restore the integrity of our Green Mamba? Is there integrity left in our Green Mamba, June?”
According to June Luna, Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is taking proactive steps to restore the integrity of the South African passport. “I think the Minister of Home Affairs is doing a great job in rooting out the corruption. Home Affairs officials are held to high standards. If they get caught taking part in corruption, there is a mandatory jail sentence of at least four years. So, I think that’s well underway for South African passports to get their legitimacy back.”
The potential change in Ireland’s visa-free policy could negatively impact the broader international concerns of the South African passport and could potentially impact personal and business travel, affecting not only family reunions but also business opportunities.
As June Luna points out, the path to restoring the reputation and legitimacy of the South African passport is underway, but it will take concerted efforts, transparency, and a commitment from the department to eradicate corruption and ensure noncompliance with subpar standards.
Reach out to June Luna Immigration Attorneys for inquiries or any assistance you may need. We’re dedicated to ensuring you have a seamless and successful experience with your home affairs applications. Contact us for more information.