Editor, Refer to the article, Concerns grow over South African visa regime on Rwandans (The New Times, March 12). Contrary to what seems like the consensus view among some people, the issue of the difficulty of obtaining a South African visa is neither due specifically to Rwanda-South African relations nor limited to Rwandans. All you need is to read newspapers from around Africa or talk to nationals of other sub-Saharan countries to find out that this is a common issue for everyone. Westerners (i.e. from Northern America, Western Europe, Australia/New Zealand) have no such problems travelling to South Africa. Nor, for that matter, do the Chinese, Japanese, Indians or Russians. The only undesirables are us, black Africans, presumably because we are poor and have little to bring to South Africa except perhaps poverty, hunger and an attempt to take low-skilled jobs that similarly poor, hungry and low-skilled South Africans also need. Notwithstanding the understandable concern of the South African authorities to protect the few jobs the economy is generating for their own people and keep out foreign labour that might end up competing for those scarce jobs (xenophobia is at stratospheric levels), the supreme irony of this is that Africans who sacrificed so much to ensure the liberation of our South African brothers and sisters are kept out like undesirable poor relations (which is how many South Africans regard their fellow Africans – if they regard them as relatives at all) while they lay out the welcome mat to nationals of the very countries that supported Apartheid South Africa to keep its black people under its jackboot. Talk about ingratitude! In conclusion, however, if people don’t want you in their place why do you insist on hoisting yourself onto them? They can hardly be said to have a monopoly of services that cannot be accessed elsewhere where they are more welcoming of your custom and money if not of you personally. Why would people want to humiliate themselves with those who have made it clear they don’t wish you to come to their country when there are many other countries who would like to compete for your business? Mwene Kalinda ****************** As a South African who has traveled to Rwanda on many occasions to minister with my Rwandan friends in reconciliation in the prisons, I am ashamed to hear how Rwandans are treated when trying to visit, study or do business in South Africa. Please forgive our government’s juvenile and short-sighted actions. They know not what they do. I truly love your beautiful country and its people and enjoy the clean streets, safety, lack of serious crimes and zero tolerance for corruption. It is a joy to be able to walk on your streets after dark, unafraid and assured of your safety. This is something we cannot do in South Africa. I have brought business people from SA to invest in Rwanda and will be accompanied by more of them on my next visit in April. In my humble opinion, Rwanda should not stoop to the level of SA by making it difficult for South Africans to obtain visa. The more people visit your country and invest in various infrastructure projects, agriculture, electricity generation…the more will they put pressure on the SA Government to also do the right thing towards Rwandans. May God continue to bless your country and its people. Gerrit Wolfaardt South Africa
