SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa Considering Free Visa For All African Citizens

The Department of Home Affairs outlines the steps that will be taken towards scrapping visa requirements in its latest White Paper on International Migration, which was adopted by cabinet six weeks ago but not made public yet.

South Africa is working towards allowing all African citizens to enter the country without visas – but at first “trusted travellers” like diplomats, officials, academics, business people and students will be the only ones to benefit.

The African Union’s Agenda 2063, championed by former AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, calls for the scrapping of visa requirements for all African citizens travelling on the continent by 2018 based on the views of the African Rennaissance.

The African passport was launched with great ceremony by Dlamini-Zuma and Rwandan President Paul Kagame at last year's AU summit in Kigali.

According to the White Paper, South Africa fully supports the vision of an Africa where its citizens can move more freely across national borders, where intra-Africa trade is encouraged and there is greater integration and development of the African continent.

It said the current status was untenable. For instance, on average Africans need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries. They can get visas on arrival in only 25% of other countries. Finally, they do not need a visa to travel to just 20% of other countries on the continent.

But the White Paper, which moves South Africa’s approach to immigration from a purely administrative one to a security-based approach, warns that the scrapping of visas needs to happen with caution.

South Africa’s risk-based approach advocates for an incremental removal of migration formalities for frequent and trusted travellers including diplomats, officials, academics, business persons, students, etc

The policy is envisaged as follows: African citizens can enter South Africa visa-free where there are reciprocal agreements.

Visas will only be needed when there are risks of foreign nationals overstaying, security risks like organised crime, terrorism and political instability, civil registration risks, i.e. fraud by foreign governments in issuing documents or an unable or unwillingness to identfy their nationals when requested, and for countries “with a high number of nationals who abuse the asylum system.

One of the countries identified elsewhere in the document as doing such is Zimbabwe.

Key elements of the visa-free regime would be visa-free entry for visits up to 90 days, recognition of visas for third parties, for example regional visas, agreed standards on immigration and border management, agreed standards on civil registration and sophisticated, real-time risk management, information and intelligence sharing.

Where visas are required South Africa should make it as easy as possible for bona fide travellers to enter South Africa, by standardising and expanding the use of long-term, multiple-entry visas for frequent travellers, business people and academics, according to the White Paper.

A list will be developed of countries whose visa adjucation systems are trusted and recognised by South Africa, and technology will be used to establish trusted traveller schemes.

Free movement of African citizens, at regional level, South Africa should continue to advocate for a free movement of African citizens, the paper states.

It also says, however, that there has been a large influx of semi-skilled an unskilled economic migrants who couldn’t get visas and permits through the mainstream immigration regime.

These had some negative consequences, such as the asylum seeker management system being abused and overwhelmed by economic migrants, and then these migrants, and by extension also South African workers, being abused by some unscrupulous South African employers.

There has also been increased trade in false documentation and petty corruption by police and immigration enforcement officials, and social cohesion has suffered, as all citizens assume that all migrants from the rest of Africa are irregular and undesirable.

There has also been a revolving door of migrants returning, and deportations to neighbouring countries increasing significantly.

The White Paper, which has a strong focus on attracting more skilled migrants to counter the brain drain, also announces a special dispensation for migrants from the Southern African Development Community, with the focus on giving visas to skilled migrants, traders and small and medium sized business owners.

Visas for lower skilled migrants will be quota-based, but details on this still have to be decided.

Home Affairs minister Hlengiwe Mkhize is expected to announce details on the new immigration dispensation in her budget speech in Parliament on Wednesday.

It is expected that the new policy will find its way into legislation by next year.

RWANDA: Violette Uwamahoro In Court On Charges Of Spreading State Secrets And Planning Harm On The President

A pregnant mother from the UK has appeared in court in Rwanda on charges of spreading state secrets, trying to harm President Paul Kagame and attempting to form an armed group.

Violette Uwamahoro, a Rwandan-British national, pleaded not guilty to the charges when she appeared in the High Court in the capital, Kigali.

She looked calm during her court appearance, and smiled as she left the building.

She was remanded in police custody until her bail hearing, which is scheduled for Monday.

Mrs Uwamahoro, a youth worker from Leeds who is five months pregnant with her third child, was arrested on Valentine's Day after travelling to Rwanda for a family funeral.

Her husband Faustin Rukundo said his wife is being victimised because of his role as a political activist.

He is involved with the Rwandan National Congress opposition group.

Mrs Uwamahoro's co-accused, a policeman, pleaded guilty to the charges, saying they had conversations on WhatsApp about "conspiring" to overthrow the government.

Mrs Uwamahoro's children, Samuel, aged eight, and David, 10, have written to UK Prime Minister Theresa May and Mr Kagame in a bid to help their mother.

RWANDA: 24 Baby Mountain Gorillas Named

Rwanda named two-dozen baby mountain gorillas in an annual ceremony Saturday that highlights the African country's efforts to protect the endangered animals, which attract large numbers of foreign tourists to the volcano-studded forests where they live.

The young gorillas, identified by trackers and researchers, were in their wild habitat nearby and not at the naming event Saturday in Kinigi, near the entrance to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. But Rwandan President Paul Kagame was among thousands of people who gathered there to celebrate the threatened population of mountain gorillas, whose image adorns numerous sculptures in Rwanda as well as a national currency banknote.

The Rwandan government hopes the naming ceremony, which began in 2005 and is based on a similar tradition among Rwandans, will highlight the importance of protecting mountain gorillas as well as promote the tourism industry, the country's top foreign currency earner. Researchers also refer to the names to identify gorillas and their families while conducting studies in the wild.

The names bestowed on the gorillas on Saturday included the words for "Power," ''Courage" and Conviviality" in the Rwandan language.

Rwanda's mountain gorillas live in the Virunga Massif, which spans Volcanoes National Park as well as parks in neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another population of mountain gorillas lives in a separate area of Uganda.

The numbers of mountain gorillas dropped dramatically in the last century because of poaching, disease and human encroachment on their habitats. The total population of mountain gorillas is currently an estimated 900; conservationists say the population has been increasing in recent years.

About Kwita Izina
Naming a newly born baby has been part of Rwandan culture and tradition for centuries. Given the remarkable efforts by the Government of Rwanda, through the Rwanda Development Board, and in collaboration with various conservation partners and local communities , to actively protect the Mountai n Gorillas and their habitat, the old naming century’s tradition was modelled on these species to get the national brand known as “Kwita Izina”.

Names attributed to the gorillas play a significant role in the on-going programme of monitoring each individual gorilla in their families and habitat. Kwita Izina, a uniquely Rwandan event, was introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla.

For three decades prior to the first official gorilla naming ceremony, the naming of baby gorillas was carried out with little awareness amidst the public by the rangers and researchers that closely monitor these unique animals on a daily basis.

Kwita Izina has been attended by thousands of international, regional and local participants over the recent years. The Government of Rwanda and conservation partners have donated substantial resources to gorilla conservation and continue to do so. Each year new born gorilla babies are celebrated in an exciting event at the foothills of the Virunga Mountains .

Tourism that focuses on natural environments is a large and growing part of the tourism industry in Rwanda. While it can contribute in a positive manner to soci o-economic development and environmenta l protection, uncontrolled tourism growth can also cause environmental degradation, destruction of fragile ecosystems, and social and cultural conflict, undermining the basis of tourism. Therefore, considering that natural forests constitute 8.7% of the national territory, conservation continues to play a crucial role in the country’s development.

Eleventh Annual Kwita Izina 2015

On 5th September, 2015, the Rwanda Development Board hosted the eleventh Kwita Izina, naming 24 baby gorillas, the newest arrivals born after last year’s ceremony.

This year’s Kwita Izina will take place as we embark on carrying out another g eneral census of the gorilla population in the Virunga Massif following the one that was carried out in 2010. In 2010, the gorilla population registered a 26,3% growth in a period of 7 years from 2003.

The theme for Kwita Izina 2015 is conserving now and for the future

The private sector has explored expansive business opportunities around conservation efforts that have been harnessed into ongoing profitable and viable business ventures. As a result, the tourism sector has registered continued growth through attracting international hospitality brands and businesses .

Since 2007, tourism has been the leading sector in foreign exchange earnings for the country. The objective is to grow tourism revenues by 25% per annum as projected in the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2.