The German Embassy has rubbished allegations that they refused to give Bakgatla paramount Chief Kgosi Kgafela II a visa to travel to Germany.
The Telegraph is informed that Kgafela recently applied for a visa to Germany, but was refused.
However, the Head of the Visa Section at the German Embassy, who preferred not to be named, denied the allegations, saying Kgosi Kgafela decided to withdraw his application after they made him aware of the requirements.
She was, however, loath to explain exactly what part of their requirements influenced Kgosi Kgafela to withdraw his application, saying they are not at liberty to share information with third parties.
“We had numerous meetings with Kgosi Kgafela and his wife, and we explained the whole procedure to him until he finally decided to withdraw his application. We never at any point refused to grant him a visa,” she said. She said any candidate who applies for a visa may choose to withdraw his or her application if they feel that it may not be successful.
She also explained that if the application was denied, then Kgafela would be in possession of a letter of denial, stating reasons why his application was denied.
“You must also appreciate that visa application procedures and requirements are very rigorous, and not all applicants will be successful,” she said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Phandu Skelemani, said he was not aware of the issue.
“It is a matter between him and the German Embassy and we are not aware of it. Again Kgafela never communicated his predicament to us,” he said.
Asked if Kgafela’s ongoing prosecution might have diminished his chances of success, Skelemani said the German Embassy would be better placed to explain. Skelemani said countries would not be comfortable giving a person who is facing criminal charges a visa.
“We would not know what the person’s intentions might be. Maybe he might be looking to evade prosecution. This might eventually sour diplomatic relations because of extradition issues,” he said.
