Africans Rising for Justice, Peace & Dignity believes in the free movement of African people across the African continent. Whilst some African countries have simplified the procedures for African visitors to enter, other countries continue to place barriers to entry for African travellers, while their borders remain much more accessible to visitors from outside the continent. South Africa is one of such countries where African visitors must often navigate complex procedures for obtaining an entry visa. Only citizens of 15 African nations can travel to South Africa without a visa, yet holders of 28 different European passports can enter the country freely.
In January 2018, the African Union adopted the protocol on Free Movement of Persons in Africa to promote the development of the continent through the seamless movement of people and goods across African country borders. Thirty-three African countries signed the protocol, but only four countries (Rwanda, Niger, São Tomé and Principe, and Mali) have ratified it. The protocol requires 15 ratifications to enter into force, meaning that the free movement of African people across the continent largely remains a theoretical concept rather than an imminent reality. Conspicuously, South Africa (along with Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt – rounding out the top four African economies by GDP) has not signed the protocol and our movement questions why. South Africa is one of the most influential countries on the continent, and as such its power and status can be used to encourage the liberalisation of access to African countries by African citizens across the continent.
Africans Rising strongly condemns the discrimination by South Africa against Africans who seek to come into the country. Our movement calls on the South African government to limit some of the stringent policies and complex procedures put in place against African travellers. Our vision is of an Africa that is one homeland for all African people, and to truly realise that vision we must start by throwing away the bureaucracy and prejudice, often remnants of racist, colonial infrastructures, that hinder free movement on the continent. This is the way forward in Africa’s development, and this is how we as Africans can take leadership and ownership in building the #AfricaWeWant.
We therefore call on all members of Africans Rising, African governments, Civil Society Organisations and Businesses to cease from organising any Pan-African meetings and conventions in South Africa until their visa rules change.
We urge our supporters to sign this statement, and share it in their networks so that this will reach more people.
