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Imposing a reciprocal visa regime will not damage tourism if done properly. In fact, it could benefit South Africa economically and politically.

In an abrupt move, earlier this year Namibia decided to introduce visa requirements for 31 countries, citing the lack of reciprocity. In June, the government announced the new visa regime will be effective starting April 1, 2025. The countries on the list include 23 European states, six Asian states, and the United States and Canada.

With tourism being a vital sector, critics of this policy argue that it has the potential to deter tourists and stunt the Namibian economy. Eben de Klerk of the Namibian-based Economic Policy Research Association decried, “There cannot be a win. We just shot ourselves in the foot.”

But there are others who also support the move and see in it an opportunity to secure another stream of revenue for the state coffers and to put diplomatic pressure on other countries to lift visas for Namibians.

Namibia’s move also provoked a debate in other African countries, where citizens have been increasingly frustrated by absurdly long lists of visa requirements, exhausting queuing at embassies and the overall humiliation of the visa application process.

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