A Ballyclare businessman and his parter have been left stranded on the tarmac of an airport in South Africa for the last 24 hours due to newly introduced visa restrictions.
James, founder of Hagan Homes, and his partner Anne Heeks, a retired nurse from England, had to sleep in a car at the airport in Johannesburg after South Africa introduced emergency visa restrictions on UK passport holders because of the coronavirus crisis.
The trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate Anne’s 60th birthday. They had been travelling in Zimbabwe and flew to Lanseria International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday (Wed 18 March).
They completed all the necessary health screening forms and waited 27 hours to get the required flight permit to land in Lanseria. However, upon arrival, they were refused entry as they have UK passports and were advised they were high risk.
They say they were kept in an interview room upon arrival and the police were called as they refused to sign a form which stated, ‘you are a person from a high-risk country’. During the confinement, they have had no access to toilet facilities or food.
Anne, a highly skilled COPD senior nurse who managed a specialist respiratory clinic, wants to be able to return to nursing during the coronavirus outbreak.
The couple say this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate Anne’s 60th, but this has now turned in to a living nightmare.
The British Embassy has since made contact with James and they are trying to resolve the issue.
