The South African Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof Bobby Moroe, has said Nigerian singer Ayra Starr was initially denied a visa because she submitted an inappropriate yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Moroe, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said the visa rejection occurred in February 2024 and was not a recent development, as suggested by reports that recently resurfaced.
The diplomat said the controversy re-emerged after reports claimed that Starr and members of her team had been denied visas to enter South Africa.
According to him, the South African mission subsequently met with the singer’s team to clarify the visa requirements and resolve the matter.
Moroe said Starr’s initial application was rejected because it did not meet the relevant immigration requirements and had nothing to do with her status as a prominent Nigerian artiste.
‘I do not see the relevance of that rejection to the development of today, except for using that rejection to sow division,’ he said.
‘One of the challenges was that they did not submit an appropriate yellow fever certificate. They submitted the yellow fever certificate of another country when they were supposed to submit the yellow fever certificate of their home country.’
He said the matter was later resolved amicably, with Starr and her team eventually receiving one-year visas to enable her to perform in South Africa in 2024.
‘Subsequently, the matter was resolved amicably and they were granted a one-year visa to go and perform in South Africa in 2024, and I think that was what they forgot to mention,’ Moroe added.
The consul-general stressed that South African visa applications were assessed according to established immigration requirements, irrespective of an applicant’s profession, prominence or nationality.
‘If you meet the requirement for a visa, whether you are a star or not, tall, short, black or white, if you qualify, you will get it. But if you don’t, regardless of who you are, the immigration section will uphold the immigration law of the country,’ he said.
Moroe explained that travellers seeking entry into South Africa were required to provide relevant documentation, including an appropriate yellow fever certificate from their home country as evidence of vaccination.
His comments followed renewed concerns over alleged difficulties faced by some Nigerians, particularly entertainers, in obtaining South African visas.
The diplomat dismissed claims that South Africa had stopped issuing visas to Nigerians, describing such reports as false.
‘Whether you are Ayra Starr or anyone, if you qualify, you will get it. The narrative that we have stopped issuing visas to Nigerians is false,’ Moroe said.
He added that visa decisions were handled by immigration officials based on established requirements rather than political considerations.
‘We are not politicians; we don’t get into politics. Whether there are unrest or not, if you qualify for the visa, you will be given,’ he said.
Moroe also disclosed that the number of visa applications from Nigerians had increased compared with previous years.
He said monthly applications had risen from an average of between 40 and 60 to between 60 and 80.
‘The visa applications have increased compared to the past. Before now, it used to be between 40 and 60 applications monthly, but now it has increased to between 60 and 80 applications monthly,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the South African Consulate in Lagos issued visas on Wednesday to five Nigerian disc jockeys travelling to the country for an event.
One of the DJs, Solomon Akinkunmi, confirmed the development to The PUNCH at the embassy.
He said he was granted a one-year visa, while the other four DJs received visas valid for three months.
