The facilitation of the entry into South Africa of accredited COP17 delegates is proceeding smoothly and without any interruptions or hitches, ahead of the official opening ceremony of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) to be hosted in South Africa in Durban on Monday, 28 November 2011.
This comes within the context of the Department’s mandate, as part of the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) responsible for ensuring a well organised and efficient Conference scheduled from 28 November - 9 December 2011, to manage the entry of delegates to the Conference effectively and expeditiously.
In terms of our agreement with the United Nations, we have accredited a total of 11 810 delegates to the conference, whose entry into South Africa has been processed through the enhanced Movement Control (e-MCS) and the Advanced Passenger Processing Systems, a legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
We have also, in consultation with the United Nations, enabled visa-free entry to accredited delegates while dedicated counters at each of the three international airports – OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town – with appropriately branded counters have been set aside for COP delegates.
The Department’s immigration operation is also supported by an additional 54 immigration officers at the King Shaka International Airport as well as the Durban Harbour. In addition, 42 South African Police Service (SAPS) members have been seconded to the Department and have received immigration training.
These measures and additional human resource capacity will enable the Department to bar any undesirable elements that appear on our database of prohibited persons from exploiting South Africa’s hosting of the Conference for their own nefarious intent.
To this end, we will also cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) to deal with any persons who may seek to undermine the security and immigration laws of the country.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma joins President Jacob Zuma and other IMC members in welcoming the world to South Africa. We join the international community in wishing these representatives of the broader global collective well in their deliberations to ensure a better tomorrow today.
Enquiries:
Department of Home Affairs Media Liaison
Tel: +2712 432 6646
Cell: +2773 758 2235
Twitter: HomeAffairsSA
