South Africa Challenges Claims of Ayra Starr’s Visa Denial
South Africa’s government has requested evidence to support claims that Nigerian singer Ayra Starr and members of her team were denied visas to enter the country, insisting immigration authorities have no record of any such application or rejection.
South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, made the clarification in an interview with Saturday Punch, saying immigration officials were not aware of any application or rejection linked to the singer or her entourage. He urged those making the allegation to submit the names of the affected individuals along with their visa application reference numbers, stating that doing so would allow authorities to investigate the matter and establish what actually transpired.
The controversy centres on reports from February 2024, when Ayra Starr and members of her team were allegedly denied visas ahead of planned performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town, leading to the cancellation of both concerts. At the time, concert organisers Steyn Entertainment attributed the cancellation to visa difficulties, with the company’s Managing Director, Dale De Ruig, stating that the team had explored every available avenue to secure the necessary travel documents without success. Following the cancellation, organisers apologised to ticket holders and announced that refunds would be processed through Quicket within seven business days.
The issue has resurfaced amid renewed diplomatic tension between Nigeria and South Africa over recent xenophobic attacks targeting Nigerian nationals in South Africa. Prominent Nigerian figures, including former Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, have called on Nigeria’s federal government to apply the principle of reciprocity in its treatment of South African entertainers seeking to perform in the country. Akpoti-Uduaghan argued that if it were confirmed that Ayra Starr and her team had indeed been denied entry visas to South Africa, Nigeria should respond with equivalent measures until Nigerian citizens and artistes are accorded fair treatment.
Activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, went further, threatening to physically block a planned concert in Lagos by South African singer Tyla through his “Ratel Movement,” while writer Solomon Buchi urged Nigerians to reject the tour, citing what he described as Tyla’s silence over attacks that have cost Nigerians their lives, businesses, and livelihoods. Tyla has since quietly removed her Lagos date from her APOP World Tour schedule, a move that has drawn its own wave of criticism from Nigerian fans and commentators.
As of the time of reporting, Ayra Starr had not publicly responded to South Africa’s request for evidence supporting the visa denial claims, leaving the underlying facts of the February 2024 incident still unresolved even as it continues to fuel wider diplomatic friction between the two countries’ entertainment industries.
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