Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde on Thursday called on Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba to retract the new South African visa regulations, which came into force in May, until a full investigation into their impact had been conducted and the appropriate systems had been put in place to back them up.

Speaking during public hearings on the impact of the changes to the Immigration Act, in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, Winde said that, while there was a need for regulations to ensure South Africa’s security, the Department of Home Affairs had “stuck the band-aid far from the wound” with the new rules.

“It became immediately clear to all that tests had not been done into the impact of these rules on law-abiding businesses and private citizens, versus those who do defy the rules. While the former are being pushed away, it appears the latter are unaffected,” he said, stating that the new regulations would have a devastating impact on growth and jobs.

Winde noted that a recent study had shown that the new regulations’ economic cost to South Africa could be as high as R10-billion and that 21 000 jobs could be placed on the line.

“The National Development Plan highlights tourism as a major growth sector, yet we are pushing tourists away. These regulations stand in direct contrast to the efforts being made by other government administrations and the private sector to grow tourism to our region.

“It is of high concern when we hear that international tour operators are cancelling all marketing spend on our region in favour of other countries,” Winde said.

He added that the call centre and film industries were also being impacted by the new regulations.

However, he said that the problems created by this legislation could be turned into an opportunity.

“If we are to recover from the brand damage we have created, South Africa needs to show the world that it is going to deal with this issue swiftly and decisively. We need to embrace world-class innovation, such as e-visas, to create an enabling environment which encourages the return of international business and tourism to our country,” he stated.