Johannesburg - No exotic entertainment or foreign fast food, thanks, we’re South African, but bring on the nuclear power.
Immigrants who want to set up businesses in South Africa should forget about dancing girls or moving second-hand cars in and out of the country, and focus instead on skilled work like oil and gas, mineral beneficiation and ICT.
Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba has listed these business undertakings as “undesirable” in connection with applications for business visas: businesses that import second-hand motor vehicles into South Africa for the purpose of exporting them to other countries; the “exotic entertainment industry”; and the security industry.
These businesses are listed as undesirable in relation to applications for corporate visas: “exotic entertainment”; “hospitality industry”; fast-food outlets and franchises; and the “cosmetic and beauty industry”.
The details appear in amendments to the Immigration Act, issued this month.
In respect of business visas, the capital contribution to be invested in a new or existing business is set at R5 million.
“The capital contribution must be new machinery and/or equipment,” said one of the amendments.
There is a long list of approved businesses which qualify for a reduction or waiver of the capital requirements as they are “in the national interest”, ranging from aquaculture to nuclear power-generation.
These include: aquaculture; call centres; fleet management; foundries; digital TV and set top boxes for migration to full digital TV; spinning, weaving and finishing of textiles; white goods; boatbuilding; publishing, printing and reproduction; auto components; power-generation, including independent power-generation, nuclear build and renewable energy manufacture, advanced manufacturing, including nano materials, space satellites and lasers; hotels; adventure tourism; museums; production of vaccines and biological medicines; film studios; jewellery manufacture; fashion design; oil and gas work, including ship and rig repairs; seismic surveys, oil and gas exploration, pipelines, mineral beneficiation; wireless and telecom ICT and software development. - The Star