Honourable Speaker,

For some time now the United Kingdom (UK) has required South Africans to apply for visas to visit the UK, because of that country’s security concerns.

This includes the tedious requirement to obtain a transit visa to connect with flights to other countries. Yet, South Africa is still committed to freely welcome UK travellers and business-people to our shores.

Rightly or wrongly, there seem to have been a taint of distrust of South Africans that arose around 2008/9.

Much has changed since then, and one would argue that the time has come for the British and South African governments to reassess, and to alleviate a situation that by design unfairly penalises South Africans and virtually, still brands us (as a nation) as potential terrorists.

The United Democratic Movement calls upon the South African government to sit down with their British counterparts to re-evaluate and to ascertain whether the reasons for their decision still stand.

Also, the British government must please be requested to publish the details on where we are still failing.

I thank you.