“Why Ayra Starr Was Denied Visa”: South African Government Finally Explains Amid Controversy
- South African Consul-General Prof Bobby Moroe shared the real reason Ayra Starr was denied a visa to South Africa
- The rejection, which occurred in February 2024, was linked to a specific documentation error by the singer's team
- Moroe said the controversy resurfaced recently, prompting the South African mission to meet with Ayra Starr's team
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South Africa's Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof Bobby Moroe, has broken his silence on the circumstances surrounding Nigerian singer Ayra Starr's visa denial, revealing that the issue stemmed from a documentation error rather than any personal bias against the artist.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Moroe clarified that the rejection did not occur recently, as some reports had suggested, but dates back to February 2024.
Source: Instagram
He explained that renewed public interest in the matter followed media reports alleging that the singer and her team had been refused entry visas, which prompted the South African mission to engage directly with her representatives.
Wrong Yellow Fever Certificate Submitted
According to Moroe, the visa application fell through because Starr's team submitted a yellow fever certificate from the wrong country.
Applicants are required to present a yellow fever certificate issued by their home country, but her team presented one from a different nation entirely.
"One of the challenges was that they did not submit an appropriate yellow fever certificate. They submitted the yellow fever certificate of another country when they were supposed to submit the yellow fever certificate of their home country," he said.
Moroe was firm in stating that the rejection had nothing to do with Ayra Starr's profile as a celebrity or her nationality as a Nigerian.
He stressed that all visa applicants are assessed strictly against immigration requirements, regardless of their public status.
Visa Later Granted After Resolution
The Consul-General also noted that the situation was ultimately resolved, a detail he said had been conspicuously absent from the controversy.
After the documentation issue was corrected, Starr was granted a one-year visa and travelled to South Africa to perform in 2024.
"Subsequently, the matter was resolved amicably and they were granted a one-year visa to go and perform in South Africa in 2024, and I think that was what they forgot to mention," Moroe said.
Source: Instagram
Ayra Starr's album hits 375 million
Legit.ng had reported that the talented singer recorded a new feat on major streaming platforms with her latest body of work, 'Year I turned 21'.
The news was announced in a post sighted on social media by Legit.ng about the laudable feat she recorded.
It was reported that the album, which had only spent a day on major platforms, made a record of 375m cumulative streams.
Source: Legit.ng
