Zuko Komisa

- South Africa withdrew a 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders, citing its abuse by Israeli-linked actors.
- The Department of Home Affairs found the exemption was being used for a scheme of “voluntary emigration” to relocate Gaza residents via chartered flights.
- The government stated it will not be complicit in any effort to exploit or displace Palestinians, requiring all bona fide travellers to now apply for visas.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has withdrawn the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders.
The move follows an investigation that confirmed “deliberate and ongoing abuse” of the exemption by Israeli-linked actors facilitating “voluntary emigration” to relocate Gaza residents.
The DHA cited recent charter flights where passengers given one-way tickets and lacking onward travel plans were allegedly being exploited and left destitute upon arrival.
Minister Leon Schreiber stated the withdrawal is necessary to prevent further such flights and affirmed that South Africa “will not be complicit in any scheme to exploit or displace Palestinians.”
“When the most recent charter flight landed at OR Tambo International Airport, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that the travellers may have been flushed out of Gaza. Subsequent investigations have confirmed this to be the case. Withdrawing the visa exemption is the most effective way to prevent further flights of this nature, while ensuring that bona fide travellers from Palestine are safely able to visit South Africa without being subjected to abuse,” Schreiber said in a statement.
Legitimate Palestinian travellers must now apply for a short-stay visa before visiting South Africa.
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