The Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn South Africa’s 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders, following investigations that found the provision was being deliberately abused by Israeli-linked actors involved in “voluntary emigration” efforts for Gaza residents.
“Following investigations and recommendations by national intelligence structures and consultations conducted within the Security Cluster – which confirmed the deliberate and ongoing abuse of the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders by Israeli actors linked to “voluntary emigration” efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip - the Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn the exemption,” the department said in a statement on Saturday.
Short-stay visa exemptions, the department said, are a commonly used instrument by countries around the world to incentivise tourism and short-term travel. However, investigations into the recent arrival of two charter flights transporting Palestinian passport holders revealed systematic abuse of this exemption, with travel designed not for the purposes of tourism or short-stays as intended, but to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
“Rather than using ordinary commercial flights, entire airplanes were chartered not by the travellers themselves, but by intermediaries. Most passengers were given one-way tickets to South Africa and prohibited from bringing luggage with them, while only being allowed to carry US dollars and essentials.
“Upon their arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, it was further discovered that many of them lacked departure verification and accommodation in South Africa, in addition to not possessing return or onward flight tickets.
“Taken together, this constituted obvious abuse of the exemption by external actors for purposes other than its intended use,” the department said.
The department said this sequence of events also amounted to abuse of the passengers themselves, as those who arranged the flights were “apparently content to leave the travellers destitute upon their arrival in South Africa”.
The department explained that most of the travellers indicated that they did not want to claim asylum in South Africa, necessitating civil society organisations to take responsibility for their welfare.
Investigations also indicated that the arrival of these charter flights was not intended to be a once-off events but that they may be part of a broader, ongoing effort to relocate Palestinians to other parts of the world.
“This includes reports that a Dubai-based broker, with offices in South Africa, recently requested bulk quotations for more charter flights to commence as soon as possible,” the department revealed.
In the wake of the withdrawal of the visa exemption, the department said will duly process any asylum applications submitted by the travellers who arrived on the two charter flights, while upholding the terms of the 90-day exemption for those who do not seek asylum.
The department said that going forward, visa applications from bona fide Palestinian travellers will be processed accordingly to enable them to visit South Africa, while any further attempts at abuse will be rejected.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said: “When the most recent charter flight landed at OR Tambo International Airport, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that the travellers may have been flushed out of Gaza. Subsequent investigations have confirmed this to be the case.
“Withdrawing the visa exemption is the most effective way to prevent further flights of this nature, while ensuring that bona fide travellers from Palestine are safely able to visit South Africa without being subjected to abuse. South Africa will not be complicit in any scheme to exploit or displace Palestinians from Gaza.” – SAnews.gov.za
