Towards the end of January this
year, I got an invitation to be in South Africa on the 1st of March,
2017 to experience the new BMW 5 Series. It was an event I had looked forward
to considering my love for fast cars and the kind of beat I cover as a
journalist.
As soon as I received the itinerary
and other documents needed for my journey, I applied for the South African visa
on the 13th of February. Conscious of the many challenges that come
with getting a South African visa, I was advised to apply through one of South
Africa’s accredited trade partners World ‘N’ Traveland (WONTRA).
The WONTRA staff who assisted me
with the application process was very courteous. She guided me through the
application requirements. At a point, she advised I get a statement of account
from my host BMW in South Africa or their certificate of incorporation. I
declined to do this because I felt my statement of account and a letter of
introduction from my organisation should be enough.
She also advised I get a letter of
authorisation from my husband. I told her I have that already because the last
application I did I was asked for it. This is a letter my husband find
ridiculous to write! He argues it is a sexist requirement from an embassy. Why
would he authorised a full-grown woman to travel because she is his wife, he
reasoned? Anyway, I got him to give him the letter, even though I found it
ridiculous too!
Since I was applying through WONTRA,
I had to pay a premium price of N70, 000 instead of the official N8, 600 for
visa fee and N22, 310 for VFS courier service. The lady at WONTRA told me the
visa should be ready within the stipulated 10 to 15 working days by the High
Commission. Based on a past experience and what others have told me, I decided
to notify the few people I know handling South Africa related travel and
tourism matters in Nigeria to use their connection to pull strings at the
embassy so that my visa could be ready on or before my travel date. I knew I
had about 13 days between my submission and travel dates to get my visa.
After 10 working days, I didn’t
receive any news from the VFS. I decided to notify my contacts on the
possibility of checking out my application status at the High Commission, they
all told me to wait that I will surely get my passport on or before my travel
date. As I sat behind my laptop to type this today, March 1st 2017,
I am yet to receive my passport from the South African High Commission. I am
supposed to travel tonight.
What is most painful about this
experience is it seems the South Africa High Commission in Lagos smacks of
arrogance and is consumed by a nonchalant attitude. For a country, that is
promoting itself as a tourists’ destination in Nigeria, to be so rude to its
visa applicants, beats me. In spite of all my efforts and my host’s (BMW) in
South Africa effort to reach the High Commission in Lagos, there has been no
response from the High Commission to emails sent and calls put through to them.
It seems to me the High Commission
is populated lazy staff who have just refused to understand the importance of
their job to the growth of the economy of their country. How can one explain
applying for visa and you are yet to receive your passport 12 days or a month
after application?
The South African High Commission
can never claim to be busier that the United Kingdom or United States of
America’s embassies in Nigeria. If you apply for UK or US visa, you can be
assured to get your passport within 10 working days or less. There are
people who have applied for the South African visa since February 3rd
2017 who are yet to receive their visas today, March 1st; that is
almost a month after submitting their applications.
Delaying the issuance of my visa and
that of other four journalists’ I am supposed to travel with means BMW has lost
a lot of money on booking business class tickets for us, paying for our
accommodation, airport pick up and drop off and food for the number of days we
are supposed to spend in South Africa.
You can imagine the loss to those
going on personal trips who have paid for their flights, accommodation not to
have received their visas days after their travel dates have passed?
If South Africa is truly serious
about marketing itself as a tourists’ destination, its High Commission needs to
drop its toga of arrogance and emulate countries like Dubai and Kenya where you
get your visa within two days as is the case with Dubai or Kenya that issues
visa on arrival.
Little wonder, Dubai has the largest
tourism market share in Nigeria! SOUTH AFRICA HIGH COMMISSION RELEASE MY
PASSPORT!!!! #SOUTHAFRICAHIGHCOMMISSION #RELEASEMYPASSPORT
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