Government should face the fact that South Africa’s full-blown jobs crisis is a matter of urgent public importance, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Friday.

MP James Vos, the DA shadow minister of tourism, was responding to a letter by Baleka Mbete, the Speaker of the National Assembly, in which she declined the DA’s request for an urgent debate on the controversial visa regulations.

“It is my view that while this is an important matter, it may be taken forward by other means in the near future,” she told Vos in a letter dated 19 August 2015.

Vos said this response was the clearest indication yet of the African National Congress’s (ANC) indifference towards unemployment.

On 11 August, President Jacob Zuma announced the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee to look into immigration regulations.

The committee, chaired by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, will look at the consequences of the new immigration regulations.

On 12 August, Ramaphosa told Parliament that government would “address concerns about new visa regulations in a methodical, rational and balanced manner”.

The country had lost R2.6-billion and over 5 800 jobs since 2014 as a result of the new visa regulations, according to a Grant Thornton impact assessment report, commissioned by the Tourism and Business Council of South Africa (TBCA), the DA said.

The report predicts that in 2015, the number of lost foreign tourists due to changes in the immigration regulations is likely to increase to 100 000, with a loss of 9 300 jobs and the total net loss to the South African Gross Domestic Product of around R4.1-billion, Vos pointed out.

“According to the TBCA, for every 12 tourists that arrive on our shores, one job is created,” said Vos. “Therefore the industry’s ability to create jobs for the millions of unemployed South Africans is being severely undermined.” 

Ramaphosa said on 12 August that the inter-ministerial committee would examine and remedy any potential unintended consequences resulting from the implementation of the immigration regulations.

“As a country, we cannot compromise on our sovereignty or our security. Nor can we ignore the economic and social effects of any measures we adopt,” he said.

He said the IMC therefore needs to examine all available evidence on the impact of the introduction of these new regulations and take steps to mitigate any negative consequences.

“It should be noted that alongside the implementation of the new regulations, government is introducing several measures to improve the efficiency, security and accessibility of our immigration processes,” said Ramaphosa.

News24.com