If you’ve ever found yourself at international airports like Nairobi, Addis Ababa, or Dar Es Salaam, chances are you’ve seen a banner reading “Visit South Africa”. I certainly did. But it never grabbed my attention. I simply wasn’t interested in planning a trip to South Africa. For the simple reason that,
one of my core criteria for travel is choosing destinations that are visa-free, offer visas on arrival, or have an easy online application process.
South Africa didn’t meet any of these, at least not for citizens of my country.
Still, my desire to visit every country in Sub-Saharan Africa remained strong. With encouragement from friends and my deep love for road trips, I decided to ignore my own criteria and take a chance on South Africa for my June holiday.
My travel buddy, who holds a European passport and can enter South Africa visa-free, nudged me to go for it. So I decided to go through the visa application process.
Before I go on, it’s important to mention that I applied from Uganda, where I was residing at the time. The application was handled by a third-party travel agency designated by the South African embassy in Uganda.
Yes, it was winter in South Africa, but I told myself that “cold and snow” wouldn’t stop me from enjoying a good road trip. We gave ourselves just two weeks to finalize everything, as my buddy and I had already agreed on the travel date.
There I was, checking the third-party website for the visa requirements based on my passport. MY JAW LITERALLY DROPPED as I scrolled through the list. I was stunned. I called my buddy and said,
There’s no way we can make this trip. The requirements are insane.
She didn’t quite get why I was so shocked until I read them out loud. Here are just a few of the ones I found most outrageous:
- Foreign nationals in Uganda must hold a long-term permit valid for at least one year, endorsed in the passport and certified by the Ministry of Internal Affairs as genuine.
- All foreign bank statements must be stamped by the bank and certified by a Commissioner of Oaths.
- Certified personal or company bank statements for the last 3 months, showing transactions up to the day of submission.
- A bank letter confirming the account holder’s name, number, and balance, including bank contact info and official email.
- A consent letter allowing the South African High Commission to obtain information directly from the bank.
- Non-refundable visa fee of USD 36 plus a third-party service fee of USD 90, charged in Ugandan shillings based on the daily forex rate.
There I was, an African, with an African passport, wanting to do tourism in another African country, but completely hindered by absurd visa requirements.
I was ready to give up and suggested we cancel the trip and choose another destination. But somehow, I convinced myself to give it a shot. I called the agency to confirm the processing time, and they said it would take at least five working days. I told my buddy,
Let’s try. I’ll go through with the process.
While preparing my documents, I faced two main challenges:
- I had a foreign bank account. My statements are generated automatically on the 14th of each month, but my appointment was on June 12.
- I had no idea who a Commissioner of Oaths was, or how to get my bank statements certified by one.
I decided not to stress over those details. After all, I was paying $90 in service fees, I assumed they could handle such hurdles. I submitted my documents with bank statements dated from mid-May, a bank letter confirming my account and balance, and a consent letter authorizing direct contact with the bank—but no Commissioner of Oaths certification.
On the day of the appointment, I was the first to arrive. Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of being attended to by an employee more invested in her phone than in helping the customer in front of her. I remained calm and polite, until she condescendingly criticized my missing Commissioner stamp. Her exact words:
If an American can get their bank statements certified by a Commissioner of Oaths, you have no excuse.
My smile vanished. My face changed. I was ready to summon Kratos or Karaba la Sorcière to mediate between us. But I reminded myself: many people working behind visa desks have never faced such realities. Their level of empathy is limited.
Long story short, our interaction didn’t last long. Ten minutes later, I was out. I went straight home and called my buddy: “The South Africa trip is off.” I also contacted a friend who was expecting me there to break the news: “South Africa will not see Nana in June 2025 or for the rest of the year.”
The more I told the story, the more frustrated I became. Why should I, as an African, go through such a burdensome process just to visit another African country? Why does my European buddy get visa-free access, while I have to submit over ten documents?
How did we get here—where traveling our own continent has become so administratively absurd?
Yes, I was angry. Mostly with myself, for not sticking to my principle of choosing travel destinations where visas aren’t a hassle.
But every experience teaches something. My takeaways from this one are:
- Nana, stick to your travel principles.
- Intra-Africa tourism will struggle to grow as long as these barriers exist.
Things might not change overnight, but I will continue to advocate for change—by sharing my story and contributing to policy discussions in the tourism sector. The freedom of movement for Africans within Africa must become a reality.
Our ancestors and founders didn’t fight for liberation only for us to be divided by bureaucratic borders.
That was it, Nana set her sights on a holiday in South Africa, but in the end, it wasn’t meant to be. Catch the next chapter of my travel adventures soon!
Cameroon Passport Diaries 