The South African government has refuted claims that Nigerian singer Ayra Starr was denied a visa to enter the country.
South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, said the country’s immigration authorities had no record of any visa application or rejection involving the singer and her entourage.
Speaking in an interview with The Punch, Moroe asked those making the allegation to provide the names of the affected persons and their visa application reference numbers for verification.
“The immigration said they were not aware of the application or the rejection,” he said.
“What will assist us is if the people who are making these allegations send us the names and reference numbers of Ayra Starr and her team.
“If they were rejected, we will be able to establish why they were rejected and double-check the claims.”
The controversy followed renewed calls for Nigeria to apply the principle of reciprocity in the treatment of South African artistes seeking to perform in the country.
Ayra Starr and members of her team were reportedly denied visas in February 2024 ahead of scheduled performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town. The organiser of the concerts, Steyn Entertainment, had blamed the cancellation on the alleged visa refusal.
The company’s Managing Director, Dale De Ruig, said all efforts to secure visas for the singer and her team were unsuccessful.
“Regrettably, as has happened numerous times with other artistes from West Africa, through no fault of their own, visas were denied despite exploring every avenue possible to secure visas for Ayra Starr and her team,” De Ruig said.
The company subsequently apologised to ticket holders and promised full refunds. Moroe, however, maintained that South African authorities had not found evidence that the applications were submitted or rejected.
Ayra Starr had not publicly responded to the South African government’s demand for proof at the time of filing this report.
The dispute comes days after South African singer Tyla removed Lagos from the itinerary of her planned world tour after her proposed Lagos concert had attracted criticism from some Nigerians over reports of xenophobic and anti-migrant attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
Recall that Senator Natasha Akpoti had waded in on the issue and urged the federal government to review visa applications.
“If it is confirmed that our Nigerian artiste Ayra Starr and her team were previously denied entry visas to South Africa, leading to the cancellation of their engagements, then Nigeria should respond with equivalent measures until Nigerian citizens and artistes are accorded fair and respectful treatment,” Akpoti-Uduaghan had said in a statement on Thursday”, she said.
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