South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has strongly resisted a bid by the East African Community bloc for business visas to be issued on arrival.
Even though the free and easy movement of business people is a crucial mechanism to promote trade and investment in Africa.
Plans are under way for a deal that will form part of the tripartite agreement between three economic communities including the EAC, Southern African Development Community and the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa launched in Egypt last month.
These economic communities include 26 countries with a population of 626 million people.
The Department of Home Affairs is engaged in a visa dispute with Kenya, which wants to restore a reciprocal free visa system between itself and South Africa.
The dispute arose after South Africa decided to impose strict visa regulations on Kenyans.
