The director of international relations in the Mozambican Interior Ministry, Joaquim Bule, said that Mozambique has been respecting this agreement, but South Africa has been failing, sometimes allowing Mozambicans to remain only for 10 days.
The agreement, signed in 2005, establishes a visa-free period of 30 days for any Mozambican passport holder to visit South Africa. Anyone who overstays that period, however, will lose the right to visit in the future.
However, if there is a good reason, such as medical treatment, the length of stay for Mozambicans may be extended.
Mozambican and South African officials met in Maputo to discuss this issue on Tuesday, looking in particular at the 2002 South African Immigration law, that was revised in 2004.
Bule told reporters that because South Africa is not complying with the terms of the agreement abolishing entry visa requirements, Mozambicans have been seriously prejudiced, and some have even been arrested for overstaying.
He said that there are cases of Mozambicans arrested when they return, after staying no more than the 30 days established by the agreement. The South African police then demand huge fines from them before they are released.
Bule said the South African authorities justify their attitude with their own domestic laws, which are allegedly in contradiction with the signed agreement. But if anyone makes such an argument, they are talking nonsense, and any South African officials behaving in the manner described by Bule are clearly violating their own country's regulations.
For the official website of the South African Department of Home Affairs unambiguously lists Mozambican passport holders as among those who can visit the country for up to 30 days without a visa.
The Mozambican authorities also took the opportunity to discuss the bad conditions to which Mozambican illegal immigrants are subjected in South Africa before repatriation. Bule noted that about 600 Mozambicans, who allegedly entered the country illegally, are repatriated from South Africa every week.
SOURCE: AIM
