South Africa Denies Rejecting Ayra Starr’s Visa, Challenges Nigerians to Provide Proof

• The South African government has denied claims that Ayra Starr and her team were refused visas, while also saying it has received no official notification regarding Tyla’s decision to remove Lagos from her world tour.

The South African government has denied reports that Nigerian music star Ayra Starr and members of her team were denied visas, amid growing diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa over xenophobic attacks and the cancellation of Tyla’s planned Lagos concert.

Speaking in an interview on Friday, South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof. Bobby Moroe, said immigration authorities had no record of any visa application or rejection involving the singer or her entourage.

He, however, challenged those making the allegation to provide the names of the affected persons and their visa application reference numbers to enable the mission investigate the claims.

“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, so that we can double-check,” Moroe said.

The clarification comes after several Nigerian public figures, including former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, urged the Federal Government to apply the principle of reciprocity by reviewing visa applications from South African artistes if it was confirmed that Ayra Starr had previously been denied entry.

The controversy dates back to February 2024, when organisers of Ayra Starr’s concerts in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Steyn Entertainment, announced that the singer’s performances had been cancelled because South African authorities allegedly denied visas to her and her team.

The event organisers had apologised to fans, stating that every possible effort had been made to secure the visas before the concerts were eventually cancelled.

South Africa Reacts to Tyla’s Lagos Tour Removal

Moroe also addressed reports that Grammy-winning South African singer Tyla had removed Lagos from her APOP World Tour following widespread backlash from Nigerians over renewed xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The diplomat said the South African mission had not received any formal communication from Tyla’s promoters regarding the cancellation.

“On Tyla, we have not received any formal complaint or notification from the promoters, although we have also seen reports on social media, so we cannot confirm or deny them,” he said.

A check of Tyla’s official tour schedule on Friday showed that the December 22 Lagos concert had been removed, while performances in Europe, North America and South Africa remained on the itinerary.

Neither the singer nor her management has publicly explained why the Nigerian stop was dropped.

Xenophobia Tensions Escalate

The controversy follows renewed outrage in Nigeria over reports of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa, including the reported killing of Nigerian national Chika Ibe in Cape Town.

The planned Lagos concert sparked calls for a boycott, with several celebrities and social media personalities urging Nigerian authorities to deny Tyla and her team entry into the country.

An online petition calling for a ban on the South African singer until attacks against Nigerians stop also gathered thousands of signatures.

Meanwhile, several South African social media users responded with inflammatory posts calling for Nigerians living in South Africa to be expelled if Tyla’s concert was cancelled.

FG Demands Compensation

Amid the diplomatic row, the Federal Government has renewed its demand for compensation for Nigerians who lost lives, businesses and properties during xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

A senior source at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria is also pushing for the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Early Warning Mechanism, designed to prevent future attacks on foreign nationals.

The source stressed that compensation for affected Nigerians remains non-negotiable, while calling on South Africa to take concrete steps to end recurring attacks on Nigerian citizens living in the country.

Despite the tensions, South Africa’s Consul-General insisted that diplomatic relations between both countries remain intact and expressed optimism that ongoing engagements between the two governments would help resolve the issues.