Ayra Starr visa denial: S’Africa demands proof as Tyla cancels Lagos show

The South African government has rejected claims that Nigerian singer Ayra Starr and members of her team were denied visas into the country.

The South African Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof Bobby Moroe, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, said immigration authorities had no record of any visa application or rejection involving the singer or her team.

He, however, urged those alleging that visas were denied to submit the names of the affected persons and their visa application reference numbers to enable the mission to verify the claims.

The reaction came after some Nigerians, including former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Akpoti-Uduaghan, urged the Federal Government to review visa applications submitted by S’African artistes and their entourages in line with the principle of reciprocity.

“If it is confirmed that our Nigerian artiste Ayra Starr and her team were previously denied entry visas to South Africa, leading to the cancellation of their engagements, then Nigeria should respond with equivalent measures until Nigerian citizens and artistes are accorded fair and respectful treatment,” Akpoti-Uduaghan had said in a statement on Thursday.

Findings by our correspondents showed that in February 2024, Starr and her team were allegedly denied visas to South Africa ahead of the singer’s scheduled performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The organisers of the concerts, Steyn Entertainment, had in a statement attributed the cancellation of the shows to visa denial.

A statement by the company’s Managing Director, Dale De Ruig, read, “Regrettably, as has happened numerous times with other artistes from West Africa, through no fault of their own, visas were denied despite exploring every avenue possible to secure visas for Ayra Starr and her team.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause those who have already purchased tickets. All previously purchased tickets will be fully refunded within seven business days via Quicket.”

But the South African envoy said there was no proof that any visa application was made.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Moroe said, “The immigration said they were not aware of the application or the rejection. But what will assist us is if the people who are making these allegations will send us the names and reference numbers of Ayra Starr and her team; if they were rejected and why they were rejected, so that we can double-check.”

Efforts by our correspondents to obtain Starr’s reaction were unsuccessful, as an email sent to an address listed on her official Instagram page had yet to receive a response.

As the diplomatic row deepened, Grammy-award winning South African singer, Tyla, removed Lagos from the list of places she planned to visit.

Tyla had on Monday announced plans to hold a concert in Lagos as part of her world tour itinerary.

The planned stop was expected to be her first headline concert in Nigeria and one of the highlights of the country’s busy “Detty December” season.

However, the announcement of the visit triggered outrage among Nigerians, who criticised her silence in the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in her country.

Nigerian celebrities and citizens linked the show to ongoing reports of anti-migrant violence in South Africa, including the death of Nigerian national, Chika Ibe, in Cape Town. South African music star Tyla. Photo: Vanguard

Also, social media activist Martins Otse, threatened to mobilise the “Ratel Movement” to physically prevent the concert, declaring, “Tyla’s show will not happen in Nigeria.”

A social media personality, Solomon Buchi, urged his followers to reject the performance, as media personality, Do2dtun, called on the Nigeria Immigration Service to deny Tyla and her team visas.

An online petition seeking to ban Tyla from Nigeria until the xenophobic attacks ceased had gathered thousands of signatures.

But a check on the singer’s official tour website on Friday showed that the December 22 Lagos date had been removed, while dates across Europe, North America, Cape Town and Johannesburg remained on the schedule.

Neither Tyla nor her management issued any public explanation for the change.

The cancellation further fuelled hostility on social media, with many South Africans celebrating her decision.

He wrote, “See Nigerians trying to stop Tyla from performing in Lagos during her APOP tour. If that happens, we want each and every Nigerian gone with immediate effect.

“We still have more than 500,000 Nigerians in South Africa. We want all of them gone back to their countries, and we won’t be nice about it. These ungrateful bastards are angry because we don’t want their people to come into our country illegally, to sell drugs in our country and to run businesses that are meant for South Africans according to our law. Now they are trying to attack innocent people who go by the law wherever they go.

“We will make sure there is no Nigerian in our country if Tyla’s show gets cancelled for any reason, and we will see who will cry on social media. We are done being nice and diplomatic.

“We will take the law into our own hands, and every Nigerian in South Africa will suffer the consequences.”

Another account wrote, “There’s still millions of Nigerians in South Africa… telling Tyla not to come there is risky for your Igbo and Yoruba brothers who are refusing to go home. All hell will break loose!!!”

Similar comments circulated widely on social media, with users calling for the collective expulsion of Nigerians, retaliation against Nigerian artistes, and justifying the hostility on the grounds of illegal immigration and crime.

Speaking on the development, a former Nigerian Consul to Cameroon and Delegate to the World Expo and Economic Development Centre in Paris, Rasheed Akinkuolie, said the removal of Lagos from her tour was inevitable given the current diplomatic tension between Nigeria and South Africa.

According to him, bilateral relations between the two countries would remain strained, making it inappropriate to organise cultural exchanges at this time because of potential security concerns for participants.

“The relationship between Nigeria and South Africa is still very tense and, as such, this is not the appropriate time to stage cultural events in both countries. Participants in such events may be harmed,” he said.

Akinkuolie argued that the South African Government should compensate Nigerians for the loss of lives, businesses and property destroyed during the attacks, saying the matter should be resolved through dialogue and negotiations.

He, however, warned that if South Africa failed to address the issue, Nigeria could consider measures such as the seizure of S’African assets in the country as compensation.