2018-07-06Staff Report 2 Kuzeeko Tjitemisa WINDHOEK - Cabinet has authorised visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic, official and ordinary passports of Jamaica, a Caribbean island nation famed for its gorgeous beaches. Minister of Information and Communication Technology Stanley Simataa, told a media briefing yesterday that Cabinet has authorised the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration to exempt all holders of diplomatic, official and ordinary passports of Jamaica from visa requirements for visits to Namibia up to 90 days per calendar year. He said this is done in terms of Section 12 (2) (a) of the Immigration Control Act, 1993 (Act 7 of 1993). Also, Cabinet last year authorised visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders from African countries. At the time, then Minister of Information and Communication Technology Tjekero Tweya, said Namibia was ready to implement the diplomatic procedure, although it was waiting for some countries to finalise reciprocal arrangements with Namibia. The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) quoted Tweya as saying that the visa exemption process was cumbersome due to some countries’ complex processes. He said while negotiations are still continuing, no person with a diplomatic or official passport will be turned away by any country. He added that there is no deadline for the conclusion of the visa-free regime with all countries. Namibia will allow the diplomatic negotiation efforts to take its course. Furthermore, Cabinet resolved in 2016, to abolish all visa requirements into the country for holders of African diplomatic and official passports, as a gesture to African countries for the role they played in liberating Namibia. 2018-07-06Staff Report 2
