Ugandan Woman Complains After SA Visa Rejection in TikTok Video, Mzansi Approves of Stricter DHA

Ugandan Woman Complains After SA Visa Rejection in TikTok Video, Mzansi Approves of Stricter DHA

  • A Ugandan woman went viral in South Africa after sharing her struggles to secure a tourist visa
  • The lady shared the reason her visa was denied and expressed disappointment over the process 
  • Briefly News spoke to a partner of IBN Immigration Solutions who shared insight into the visa process in South Africa

One woman opened up about how hard it is for her to get a visa to travel to South Africa. The Ugandan shared that she had plans for a leisurely visit to Mzansi. 

Ugandan woman bemoans rejected SA visa in TikTok video
A Ugandan woman posted a TikTok video complaining about her South African visa being rejected. Image: Gallo Images / Svetlana Repnitskaya
Source: Getty Images

The video of the lady on X received over 90,000 views. Many people commented on the video and immigration expert Andreas Krensel from IBN Immigration Solutions told Briefly News his two cents on the current state of the visa application process in South Africa.

Ugandan struggles to travel to South Africa 

In a video originally shared on TikTok that was reposted on X by PSALive, a woman from Uganda detailed that she applied for a South African tourist visa and was rejected. The rejection was especially disturbing for her because she had booked flights and a hotel.

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The lady detailed that her visa was rejected because authorities did not understand the reasons for her visit, and she was told that they are stricter with Ugandans because of past trends of criminals entering the country. Briefly News asked IBN Immigrant Solutions if there is a trend of rejecting visas from certain African countries, and a partner at the law firm, Andreas Krensel, told Briefly News that although the DHA has reduced visa backlogs, it has raised alarm regarding the quality of adjudication in general. IBN Immigrant Solutions' Attorney Krensel said:

"[There are] reports of increased rejections citing questionable reasons. Consequently, the appeals process has become more burdened, leading to longer waiting periods."

Watch the video of the Ugandan woman explaining below:

Why do visas often get rejected in SA?

IBN Immigration Solutions partner, Andreas Krensel, told Briefly News the common legal reasons why a visa to South Africa may be rejected. These include incomplete or incorrect supporting documents, where required documents for the visa are missing or improperly filed. Visa applicants are required to prove that they have the financial means to maintain themselves in South Africa, so sufficient financial evidence is a common reason for rejection. Some may also have submitted incorrect application forms that are outdated.

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SA happy about Ugandan's rejected visa 

Many people commented that they were pleased to hear that South African authorities were strict about visa distribution. Some people were not impressed by the idea that people from neighbouring African countries were labelled criminals. 

Others encouraged the Department of Home Affairs to tighten immigration and tourist laws. IBN Immigrant Solutions highlighted that many applicants with strong cases were rejected with "poorly justified" reasons which Mr Krensel warns reflects badly on South Africa's immigration process. Andreas Krensel told Briefly News:

"These decisions undermine confidence in the system and place an unnecessary burden on the appeals process. Before the backlog clearance efforts, the appeals process already faced delays of up to six months. Now, with a dramatic increase in appeals resulting from questionable rejections, the waiting period is expected to stretch to 10 to 12 months."
Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber applauded by netizens
The Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber (back, left) applauded by an online user over visa rejections. Image: Gallo Images
Source: Getty Images

Orate_Orate said:

"It always affects innocent people and this is why everyone should be standing together against criminals."

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@xmxo_ complimented Minister of Home Affairs, Leon Schreiber:

"I did not imagine that a white man would do his job."

@GrandZacharia was not pleased:

"Surprised how your account has survived this far. It should be closed. Are you suggesting that African visitors are not welcome to legally visit SA. This can’t be a public expression from an account like yours."

@Donald97223322 countered:

"Strict immigration laws are the way. As patriots, we welcome this level of patriotism."

@THEETHATOR agreed:

"Guys, ke lefatshe la rona. Right of admission is reserved. We are not obligated to let people in even if our reason is we just don’t want to. And we must do this for the Euros and Mericas too."

@_maxwellmotai celebrated:

"I need more rejections like this."

Immigrants in South Africa get in trouble

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Rutendo Masasi avatar

Rutendo Masasi (Weekend Entertainment and Human Interest editor) Rue Masasi is a Human Interest and Entertainment writer at Briefly News who graduated with a BA (Hons) in English from Rhodes University in 2018. Rue also has 2 years of experience in journalism and over four years of experience as an online ESL teacher. She has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her via email: rutendo.masasi@briefly.co.za