There was a lot that still needed to be clarified concerning changes to the immigration regulations, Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) CEO, Bongani Maseko, told media and members of the aviation industry on Thursday morning.
He was speaking at the presentation of Acsa’s financial results at the Hyatt Regency in Johannesburg.
Home Affairs Minister, Malusi Gigaba, said on Tuesday morning that, rather than requiring foreign minors to travel with a birth certificate, government would “strongly recommend” that the parents of these minors carry documentation to show their relationship and, in the absence of one or both parents, documentation to show parental consent.
These amendments are expected to be gazetted at the end of October.
The same leniency is not on the cards for South African passport holders, although a still-to-be-rolled-out child passport listing both parents’ names will eventually replace this need.
Maseko said the airports company had a good relationship with the Department of Home Affairs and would be approaching the department for clarity.
He said clarity was especially important because airlines flying into SA airports needed this clarity as they were responsible for bringing passengers into South Africa.
Acsa reported an R800 million profit for the 2017-18 year, a decline from the R2 billion profit reported for the previous year. The decline in profit was largely attributed to a 35,5% reduction in airport tariffs for the period.
