In a bid to streamline the visa application process and attract more foreign tourists and investors, the Department of Home Affairs hopes to be issuing electronic visas as soon as October this year.
This news follows hot on the heels of President Ramaphosa’s statement during the State of the Nation Address last week wherein he stated his plans for South Africa to increase international tourist influx, a key market that needs to be exploited for the country’s economic benefit. This involves attracting more leisure tourists as well as foreign businesses through a more efficient process.
The acting Director-General of Home Affairs, Thulani Mavuso, told eNCA the department is in a good position to begin testing the e-visa system. ‘We’re doing functional testing, once that’s done we’ll do a proper pilot with a few countries,’ Mavuso said. He added that as soon as the pilot tests are complete, production of the e-visas can begin.
At present, other African countries where e-visas are in use include Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Gabon and the Ivory Coast.
Image: Unsplash
You may also like
Related Posts
China’s National Health Commission has published a list of controversial coronavirus treatments that have animal...
read more
Warmer sea temperatures in the summer months, especially in February, were recorded and are believed...
read more
The latest report indexing the world's happiest countries has highlighted the important role of...
read more
