NEWS
South African Envoy Explains Why Ayra Starr Was Denied Visa, Says ‘It Was Not About Her Status’
The South African Consul-General to Nigeria, Bobby J. Moroe, has explained the circumstances surrounding the denial of a South African visa to Nigerian music star Ayra Starr, dismissing suggestions that the singer was rejected because of her nationality or celebrity status.
The clarification comes amid renewed tension on social media and public debate over the planned entry of South African singer Tyla into Nigeria.
The controversy was triggered after reports emerged that South Africans had recently called for Black Africans from other African countries to leave South Africa. Shortly afterwards, Tyla’s team announced Nigeria as one of the countries the singer would visit as part of her tour.
The announcement immediately generated reactions among Nigerians, with some insisting that Tyla should not be allowed into the country. Their argument centred on the previous visa controversy involving Nigerian singer Ayra Starr, who they claimed had been denied entry into South Africa.
However, responding to the development, South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof Moroe, explained that Ayra Starr’s visa application was rejected because the singer’s team submitted an inappropriate yellow fever certificate.
According to the envoy, the incident did not occur recently, contrary to how it was being portrayed in some reports and online discussions. He explained that the visa rejection happened in February 2024.
Moroe said the issue resurfaced after reports alleged that Ayra Starr and members of her team had been denied visas to enter South Africa. He explained that following the renewed attention, the South African mission engaged with the singer’s team to clarify the visa requirements and establish what needed to be corrected.
He maintained that the decision was strictly based on immigration requirements and had nothing to do with Ayra Starr’s personality, celebrity status or nationality.
He said, “I do not see the relevance of that rejection to the development of today, except for using that rejection to sow division.
“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.
“Subsequently, the matter was resolved amicably and they were granted a one-year visa to go and perform in South Africa in 2024, and I think that was what they forgot to mention.”
The South African envoy further stressed that immigration decisions are governed by established requirements and procedures rather than the identity or popularity of an applicant.
According to him, being a prominent entertainer does not automatically exempt anyone from meeting the conditions required to obtain a visa.
He added: “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.”
The clarification comes at a time when relations between Nigerians and South Africans remain a sensitive subject, particularly whenever issues involving entertainment, immigration, xenophobia and the treatment of citizens from either country arise.
The controversy surrounding Tyla’s planned Nigerian appearance has therefore reignited wider conversations about the relationship between the two countries and whether disputes involving individual entertainers should influence cultural and artistic exchanges.
While some Nigerians had called for a reciprocal response over the Ayra Starr visa controversy, the South African Consul-General’s explanation presents the 2024 incident as an administrative matter that was eventually resolved, with the singer subsequently receiving a one-year visa to perform in South Africa.
The development has consequently shifted the focus from an alleged nationality-based rejection to the specific documentation and immigration requirements attached to the visa application.