In the week of 13 to 21 June, another 29 foreigners were denied entry into SA for the World Cup, with the help of monitoring systems, says home affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Speaking at a World Cup update, she said: “In order to meet government's guarantees to Fifa, our mandate as a department relates to the issuance of visas, work permits, as well as priority treatment for Fifa delegates, national teams, other accredited persons and the multitudes of football fans arriving at our air and land ports of entry.”
Deputy minister Malusi Gigaba previously said the Movement Control System (MCS) recorded the arrival of 456 423 foreigners into the country during the period of 1 to 13 June.
During the same period, 6 933 contraventions were identified by the system, including individuals overstaying their entry conditions, penalties for temporary residence permit abuses and occurrences where a passport was flagged as lost or stolen.
At 21 June, an additional 226 084 travellers had arrived. In total, 682 507 foreign visitors have entered the country, specifically for the World Cup, according to Dlamini-Zuma.
“It is also important to note that many visitors to the country have not entered with match certificates or match vouchers. However, it can be expected that these travellers would form part of the celebrations through participation in the fan parks, among others.”
She said the top five nationalities entering the country comprised Southern African Development Communities (SADC) states, including Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana. They were followed by the UK, the US, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, France, Netherlands, Namibia and Argentina, to make up the top 15 nationalities visiting SA for the World Cup.
During the same reporting period of 1 to 21 June, 12 157 contraventions had been identified at various air and land ports of entry, an increase of 5 224 in a week, according to Dlamini-Zuma.
Entry denied
The Advanced Passenger Processing (APP) system, which allows the department to bar undesirable elements (for example, soccer hooligans and paedophiles) from entering SA, before even boarding a flight in another country, became operational in November, according to Gigaba.
Between 1 and 13 June, 21 hits were recorded through the APP and these travellers were denied permission to board due to their travel documents being non-compliant with immigration requirements including visas, expired travel documents and being placed on the visa and entry stop list.
This figure increased to 34 people at 21 June. Dlamini-Zuma added that 40 of the 54 airlines flying to SA are now signed up to the APP.
For the period 1 to 13 June, a further 79 travellers were prevented from boarding flights to SA through the deployment of Airline Liaison Officers (ALO). This number increased to 95 in the next week.
Apart from the MCS, the APP and the ALO, Dlamini-Zuma said the DHA has also established a tracing unit, which is responsible for tracking individuals who overstay after the World Cup.
“We have also recently signed memoranda of understanding with our Lesotho and Mozambican counterparts to assist in the establishment of such temporary joint border clearance facilities. In addition, we have advised several of our SADC counterparts to issue their nationals with machine-readable travel documents that will be compatible with our Movement Control System.”
E-passports ahead
The R129 million MCS system was launched at OR Tambo International Airport by Dlamini-Zuma, and the technology is designed to track and document the secure movements of travellers across SA.
Jackson McKay, deputy director-general responsible for immigration at home affairs, explained that the system is designed to provide real-time information and statistics as to who has entered the country, who is staying in the country - for how long and for what purpose - as well as who has left the country.
He added that the system's real-time integrated functionality was the main differentiator from the old system. The system will update all the travellers' information, regardless of the type of passport, upon entry into the country, and would communicate that information to all other points of entry across the country in real-time, he explained.
McKay highlighted the security features of the system, which has been designed to also act as an early warning system to track visitors who overstay in the country following the World Cup.
The system will also assist in law enforcement, as well as the prevention of criminal and illicit activities, by integrating with Interpol databases and the South African police service systems.
Dlamini-Zuma noted that with the necessary infrastructure in place, the MCS would be a stepping stone towards SA's e-passport preparation.
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