AGENTS are frustrated
with the news that
the controversial UBC
requirement for minors has
not been removed for South
African travellers.
The Department of Home
Affairs updated its travel
advisory, stating that only a
valid passport is required for
foreign minors travelling to
South Africa. However, the
unabridged birth certificate
ruling still applies to minors
(regardless of nationality).
While the inbound industry
celebrates the scrapping
of the requirement by
introducing special campaigns
to promote family travel to
South Africa, SA agents say
they have clients who are
unable to travel. The issue is
exacerbated by Home Affairs’
inability to deliver consistent
documentation within a
reasonable time period,
they say.
Christeen Tait, who
runs a small business
assisting clients with UBC
applications, says she finds
inconsistencies with Home
Affairs’ documentation on a
daily basis.
Home Affairs needs to come
up with a more effective
method to make travel for
South African families easier
while also protecting children.
“In cases where a mother
or father has gone AWOL,
or is being obstructive, it is
incredibly difficult to acquire
the right documentation to
travel. It is the child from the
single-parent household that
suffers because of this law
and the loss of opportunity to
travel,” she says.
Travel Counsellor Astrid
Harrison agrees. She says
she would love to travel
internationally with her
children but has avoided it
since the implementation
of the UBC requirement.
“Sometimes it is just too
costly and difficult to acquire
the necessary paperwork
for children to travel when
parents have split up,” she
explains.
Asata has described the
amendment as outrageous
and discriminatory, particularly
against the many families
in South Africa that do not
meet the form of a traditional
two-parent household. Ceo,
Otto de Vries, says the
requirement has stifled
outbound tourism as it makes
it difficult for local families to
travel internationally.
“The continued obligation for
South African citizens flies in
the face of Government’s own
stated goals of creating jobs
and stimulating the economy.
As South Africa’s economy
grapples with the downturn
and international investment
declines, now, more than
ever, it is incumbent on local
businesses, not foreign
investors, to create that
economic growth, higher
consumer spend and higher
employment,” he says.
“Although the government
has started to roll out a new
child passport, which includes
parents’ details, this appears
to be inconsistently applied
and is not an adequate
solution,” says Otto.
Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa,
ceo of the Tourism
Business Council of South
Africa, agrees and says
inconsistencies in Home
Affairs’ documentation
were another reason why
the requirement needed to
be reviewed. “We need to
sit around the table again
and ask: what about South
African children? We all have
the same goal of growing
travel and tourism and
stopping child trafficking. To
do this effectively we need
to ask ourselves what other
countries are doing to combat
trafficking and are we dealing
with these issues in the best
way possible?
