The move, to be implemented in stages from March, follows an official
UK warning to the South African government six months ago to tighten up
on issues including control of passports.
"Abuse of the South African passport remains a serious concern," the
British High Commission in Pretoria said in a statement on Monday
afternoon.
"It has been one of the most abused passports detected at UK border posts."
It said South Africans featured "prominently" among passengers being refused entry on arrival in the UK.
SA citizens working illegally in UK
In the last two years there had also been a significant increase in the
number of South Africans working illegally or overstaying their leave
to remain in the UK.
The commission said that from March 3, South African passport holders would require a visa in order to visit or transit the UK.
However until mid-2009, South Africans who had previously travelled to
the UK on their current passport would be exempt from the requirement.
Visas are currently required only for other categories of entrants, including students and people working in the UK.
High Commissioner Paul Boateng said the new requirement was in no way a
reflection of any deterioration in the UK’s strong relationship with
South Africa.
"We are committed to continuing to welcome South Africans travelling for legitimate reasons to the UK," he said.
An ongoing exercise
The commission said in the statement that the tightening of visa
requirements was just one part of an ongoing exercise to "secure our
borders".
Biometric capture of information, already in operation, would deter
many of those who sought to enter the UK under an assumed identity or
on fraudulently obtained South African documents.
South Africans would join the nearly 75% of the world’s population who had to get visas for the UK, it said.
Although the statement downplayed the issue of terrorism, listing it as
only one of a number of factors that were weighed up in the decision,
media have linked the move to fears that South Africa has become a
transit point for al-Qaeda operatives to gain entry to Britain.
Associated Press’ London office on Monday quoted unnamed "security
officials" as saying South Africa had become a new base for terrorist
activity.
Suspicious of claims
However Peter Gastrow, of the SA Institute for Security Studies, said these claims should be treated with great circumspection.
"It may or may not be correct, but I think we ought to be sceptical
about it until they give us more reliable information," he said.
"The problem that one has with information which originates from real
or imagined security agencies is there’s hardly any member of the
public who can assess the veracity of this claim.
Noting that there had been a general hardening of attitudes towards
migration in the United Kingdom and some other European countries, he
said the motive behind the visa move could well be purely political.
The action against South African visitors could be a way of defusing this pressure.
Asked whether South Africa would retaliate with visa requirements for
Britons, foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said there was "no
such decision by government".
In 2007, 419 000 South Africans travelled to the UK legally, including 168 000 tourists and 46 200 business visitors.
Post published in: Africa News