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By Sam Player 
6h ago
Cape Town – Red tape and visa errors plaguing travelers from Germany to South Africa could hamper the tourism industry’s hope of recovering from a tough lockdown.
Germans were allowed to enter the country for 90 days without a visa. But that seems to have changed and visas are now required.
Angry tourism bosses have made urgent calls to Internal Affairs to address the travel issue quickly.
Internal Affairs could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.
Mayco member for economic opportunities James Vos described the situation as “a regrettable situation”, as Germany is one of Cape Town’s largest inbound tourism markets.
Emirates has canceled all international flights to South Africa with immediate effect. The cancellation is due to Cogta regulations announced this week that treat the airline’s crew like passengers.
Anne Görgmeier was on a flight to Cape Town when visa rules suddenly changed. The German citizen expected to return after the limited reopening of the country’s borders.
“He was scheduled to travel on Friday,” Görgmeier said. “I am a recent graduate of UCT. I have been living in Cape Town for three years and have a South African partner. They have not allowed me to go home (South Africa) for six months. “
The website of the South African embassy in Berlin said that citizens traveling to South Africa are exempt from requiring a visa for the first 90 days. With that in mind and wanting to get back to her partner, Görgmeier booked her flight.
“I checked twice with the South African consulate in Munich, the immigration office at Cape Town airport and the German embassy in Pretoria, as well as Emirates. Everyone confirmed that I will receive a 90 day visa upon arrival.
“When I arrived in Dubai, I received several messages from my boyfriend and the Munich Consulate. They said that while it was on the air, the regulations had changed and now all Germans need a visa. “
“By then it was around 11pm South African time, but the South African consulate in Munich was still trying to help me get in touch with the Department of Home Affairs to find a way to enter South Africa.
“But they couldn’t give me a clear answer about what will happen when I get to SA.
“I spoke to Emirates and they told me that their regulations had also changed and that they would not allow me to board the plane to Cape Town. So I flew back to Munich. “
On March 25, the department revoked the visa-exemption status of Germans visiting South Africa when the country entered the lockdown period. However, the website of the South African Embassy in Berlin continues to state that tourist visas are not required.
Meanwhile, visa services at the South African Embassy in Berlin remain suspended. This, despite the fact that Internal Affairs announced that visa services abroad would be resumed.
The German Embassy in Pretoria confirmed that it was aware of the outages and was working to find a solution. Yesterday, the German Foreign Ministry updated its travel notice to South Africa, stating that it was not known whether a visa was required and was seeking clarification. Travelers were advised to check before departing.
Executive Director of the South African Tourism Business Council, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, said: “This is a prime example of what should not be happening. They need to remove that notice.
“Anyone who comes here can get there without a problem. Now we have a situation where Internal Affairs did not eliminate that. This is something that needs to be resolved urgently. “
Argus weekend
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