South Africa and Mozambique sign visa waiver agreement

FROM April 18, Mozambicans and South Africans will no longer be required to apply for visas if their stay in each other’s country does not exceed 30 days.

South Africa and Mozambique officially signed a visa waiver agreement in Pretoria on Friday, April 15. The signing of the agreement coincided with the visit of the Mozambican President, Armando Guebuza, in the country as part of the economic bilateral meeting between President Thabo Mbeki and his counterpart President Armando Guebuza.

Home Affairs minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said the visa waiver pact "is meant to encourage legal entry and to keep a proper record of people who come into our country".

The other SADC countries with which South Africa has a reciprocal 30-day visa waiver are Zambia, Swaziland, Namibia, Mauritius, Malawi and Lesotho. Added to that, South Africa has a 90-day visa waiver with Botswana.