This announcement was made by the Home Affairs minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, yesterday, and comes into effect immediately.

All ports of entry as well as the airline and maritime industries have already been informed of the decision following the signing of the waiver by Motsoaledi on Friday.

“The news will certainly be welcomed by all in the tourism industry, both in South Africa and around the world,” commented Dlamini.

“In all our markets, family travel is a key driver for arrivals and we compete with many other destinations for the share of family travel.”

“The waiver announcement will allow us to proactively and aggressively market South Africa as a family friendly destination again.”

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Dlamini said that following their recent roadshows to the UK, Central Europe and North America, some of the feedback received was that South Africa were starting to lose ground on the family travel market as families were choosing other destinations ahead of South Africa due to the regulations around travelling with minors.

“There is an abundance of fun to be had in South Africa for families travelling with children of all ages and certainly enough experiences to leave lasting memories in both parents and children.”

He concluded that as they look to achieve the goal set by President Cyril Ramaphosa, of 21 million arrivals by 2030, waiving the unabridged birth certificate for international minors will certainly prove to be a catalyst to achieve the goal.