Cape Town – South Africa paid a heavy price for implementing the new visa regulations, Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom said on Thursday.
“I realise the intention of these new regulations was good, but most human trafficking happens inside a country or by means of illegal crossing of borders,” he said at the annual global convention of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) taking place in Cape Town this week.
Due to increasing international terror attacks, Hanekom said it is hardly surprising that countries are reacting.
“The question is what needs to be done in SA if we want to protect our citizens. The reality is that criminals’ papers are often impeccable and you won’t pick them up by means of their passports. They also often cross borders illegally,” he explained.
He added that SA is en route to using e-visas and he is pleased with the positive impact it has had on the local tourism industry after the requirement of having to apply for SA visas in person, was changed. He is especially pleased with the positive impact this change has had on the Chinese tourism market. The number of Chinese tourists visiting SA in January 2016, for instance, was about 16% more than in January 2015.
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SA paying heavy price for new visa rules
Cape Town – South Africa paid a heavy price for implementing the new visa regulations, Minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom said on Thursday.
“I realise the intention of these new regulations was good, but most human trafficking happens inside a country or by means of illegal crossing of borders,” he said at the annual global convention of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) taking place in Cape Town this week.
Due to increasing international terror attacks, Hanekom said it is hardly surprising that countries are reacting.
“The question is what needs to be done in SA if we want to protect our citizens. The reality is that criminals’ papers are often impeccable and you won’t pick them up by means of their passports. They also often cross borders illegally,” he explained.
He added that SA is en route to using e-visas and he is pleased with the positive impact it has had on the local tourism industry after the requirement of having to apply for SA visas in person, was changed. He is especially pleased with the positive impact this change has had on the Chinese tourism market. The number of Chinese tourists visiting SA in January 2016, for instance, was about 16% more than in January 2015.
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South Africa: Policy change on asylum seekers faces legal challenge
Background:The number of employers impacted by the recent change in DHA policy is potentially significant, given that an estimated 10 percent of the South African workforce are foreign nationals with outstanding asylum applications. Nearly 870,000 new asylum applications were submitted to the DHA between 2008 and 2013.
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Renewable energy: Green is the real deal
Crucially, the economics – and also the politics – of building renewable energy projects in Africa are changing. Japan is helping Kenya lead the way in geothermal, while innovative payment plans in Nigeria and huge state backing in Morocco are accelerating solar generation.
Renewable energy has gone from fringe obsession to sought-after asset class, from socks and sandals to suit and tie. At the COP21 climate summit in Paris in December 2015, global leaders pledged a minimum $100bn in clean energy finance for developing countries by 2020.
Africa has an opportunity to lead the world and leap to a totally renewable energy base
African countries now face the challenge of creating projects that qualify for funds. As Zimbabwean telecoms tycoon Strive Masiyiwa told the conference: “Africa has an opportunity to lead the world and leap to a totally renewable energy base, in the same way as the continent has leapfrogged from fixed-line telephony straight to mobile communications.”
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#InLoveWithAfrica: The Raw Splendor Of The Okavango Delta
After spending four nights travelling through Savuti in Botswana, we set off to dive deep into the Okavango Delta. After already having had a few of the most amazing and thrilling days and nights in Savuti, a game reserve higher up in Botswana, I thought we had experienced it all. We slept in the middle of the wildest bush I have ever experienced (only three of us, a tent and our open vehicle), in the middle of the local trekking ground for a herd of elephants by day and hyenas by night. Not to mention the nightly chorus of lions, leopards and trumpeting elephants to fall asleep to, I really thought we had gotten as close to the wild Botswana bush as we could.
But then we arrived on the edge on the Okavango Delta, a secluded spot where our speed boat was going to pick us up to take us to the island where we were going to spend the next few nights. I instantly knew that this trip was going to become even more breath-taking. I usually research the places that I travel to beforehand, so that I have some sense of what I’m getting myself into. I hadn’t done this before our trip into the Delta, and I think it made the whole experience even more amazing.
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