Rarely will you find Amos Wekesa, a renowned tourism enthusiast calling for the boycott of a product or company. But it seems the mistreatment of Ugandans by the guys at the South African High Commission has pushed him to the limit.
On Tuesday morning, Wekesa who recently met with South African High Commissioner to Uganda, Prof. Maj. Gen.(Rtd) Lekoa Solly Mollo, to among others discuss the complications associated with visa application to South Africa, was not a happy man.
Although he had started rallying Ugandans to present a petition to the South African High Commission, he took his anger to facebook, telling his hundreds of followers that South Africans ‘…should be made to taste their own medicine like they are doing to us.’
His ire stemmed from losses accrued by tourism operators who were denied Visas to Durban, South Africa for the Indaba Exhibition.
Indaba is the third most important tourism exhibition in the world after Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin (ITB-Berlin) and World Travel Market (WTM) in London.
‘South Africans make over USD500m from Uganda every year through MTN, Stanbic bank, shoprite, Eskom, Game etc and yet we make less than USD100m from them! They don’t even refund the money paid to them and this is unacceptable.’
“They should be made to taste their own medicine like they are doing to us. Let’s wake up if this economy is to grow at all,” he added.
He was also angered by some ministers he approached and they told him he cannot do much.
“I called up a few ministers and some told me, they who have red passports are allowed. I was shocked. They should be fighting for Ugandans and we don’t need the President to do this…..where are they?”
Here is his full rant
By yesterday so many Ugandan tour operators heading to Durban, South Africa have been denied visas.
Indaba is the third most important tourism exhibition in the world after ITB and WTM in London.
The Ugandan tour operators go there every year to push for business and denying Ugandans visas is a very shocking act by South Africans.
South Africans make over 500m dollars from us every year through MTN, Stanbic bank, shoprite, Eskom, Game and we make less than 100m dollars from them! They don’t even refund the money paid to them and this is unacceptable.
The Ugandan tour operators have already paid for accommodation, transport and exhibition fees to South African organizers. Last month, millions of shillings were lost to South Africa many were denying visas trying to attend WTM, Cape Town.
I called up a few ministers and some told me, they who have red passports are allowed. I was shocked. They should be fighting for Ugandans and we don’t need the President to do this…..where are they?
Its economic sabotage by South Africa who are happily reaping from us Ugandans. They repatriate so much money from our economy back to their country.
What Uganda government should do is denying their business people visas into Uganda as well. They walk into our airport and get visas at the airport without any hustle.
They should be made to taste their own medicine like they are doing to us…….Lets wake up if this economy is to grow at all.
I am sure so many other Ugandans in other sectors are suffering the same way. South Africa is already a second biggest economy on the continent and they are like because of the money they make from countries like Uganda.
Our media houses this should be our headline. Uganda must be rallied to boycott South Africa companies until their government wakes up……
Let’s share this widely until they wake up.
We are yet to get a comment from the South African High Commission.
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