By Khulile Thwala
The Ministry of Home Affairs has pressed pause on an Israel pilgrimage tour set to be embarked on by close to 200 pastors.
The ministry temporarily halted the issuance of international passport applications from the pastors. This follows close deliberations between the ministry and organisers of the pilgrimage tour, which was scheduled for March 25.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Principal Secretary Nhlanhla Nxumalo, the issuance of international passports has been halted pending the submission of certain documents by UPF. The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) is the organisation responsible for facilitating the Israel tour.
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“The close meeting came as a result of high volumes of international passport applicants by church leaders who intend to travel to Israel,” stated Nxumalo.
He said the applicants, however, did not meet certain requirements to acquire this document. Consequently, the ministry engaged the organisers of the tour and requested them to furnish the office with the outstanding documents to finalise the application process.
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Nxumalo further said the federation had categorically failed to comply with requirements set by the immigration office.
“The ministry wishes to state that it values the importance of the tour to the Church of Christ, thus will continue to engage UPF until the matter is resolved expeditiously,” proclaimed the PS.
