South African envoy clarifies reasons for Ayra Starr’s visa denial
By Folashade Olorunfemi –
The South African Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, has clarified that Nigerian singer Ayra Starr’s visa was denied because she failed to meet certain requirements, rather than because of her nationality.
Moroe made this known during a recent media interview, explaining that the incident occurred in February 2024 and was not a recent development, as suggested in some reports. He said the decision was based on the failure to provide the required documents and had nothing to do with Starr’s status as a Nigerian or her personality.
He explained that the controversy resurfaced following reports that Starr and members of her team had been denied visas to enter South Africa. According to him, the South African mission subsequently engaged with the singer’s team to clarify the requirements that needed to be met.
He said the issue centred on the submission of an inappropriate yellow fever certificate, noting that the document presented was issued by another country instead of Nigeria, the applicants’ home country.
Moroe said, “One of the challenges was that they did not submit an appropriate yellow fever certificate. They submitted the yellow fever certificate of another country when they were supposed to submit the yellow fever certificate of their home country”.
He added that the matter was later resolved amicably, leading to Starr and her team being granted one-year visas to travel to South Africa for performances in 2024.
The envoy stressed that visa applications were assessed based on immigration requirements, regardless of an applicant’s status or background. He said travellers were required to submit relevant documents, including a valid yellow fever certificate from their home country, as proof of vaccination.
“If you meet the requirement for a visa, whether you are a star or not, tall, short, black or white, if you qualify, you will get it. But if you don’t, regardless of who you are, the immigration section will uphold the immigration law of the country,” he said.
