Gigaba to take up visa requirements for Israelis

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says he will take a proposal he received last week regarding the status of visa regulations for Israeli citizens entering SA to Cabinet for consideration, notes a News24 report. Gigaba met representatives from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement at his parliamentary offices following a mass march to Parliament following the killing of 58 people by the Israeli defence force and the wounding of more than 2 700 who protested along the Gaza border on Monday last week. BDS representatives Braam Hanekom and Muhammad Desai asked Gigaba to review government's current visa agreement with Israel regarding entry into SA. The group's main issue was that current visa regulations were guided by an apartheid-era agreement that has remained in force, resulting in Israeli officials and some citizens needing very few visa requirements when entering SA.