The purpose of this petition is to request the German Federal Foreign Office to exempt people from South Africa who have valid employment contracts and pre-approval from the German Federal Employment Agency to live and work in Germany, as well as registered students, from the travel ban that was imposed on people travelling from South Africa since January 13, 2021.

Many people have lost their jobs and homes as a result of these travel restrictions, because they either had to give up their local employment and residency in order to relocate or their German employers could not secure their appointments indefinitely.

South African citizens should no longer be treated as outcasts due to the perceived impact of the Beta variant of the Covid-19 virus. It is no longer the main contributor of infections worldwide and that includes South Africa, where the Delta variant is currently running rampant. Other countries, where the Delta variant is also prevalent and in fact, causing 3-4 times more infections than in South Africa, have been removed from the Virus Variant list by the German Federal Foreign Office and their citizens are now allowed to travel to Germany under strict quarantine regulations. South Africa is not allowed the same privilege.

This is a plea from a group of skilled, educated people who want to exercise their basic human right to take up employment or continue their studies in the country of their choice and positively contribute to the economy and prosperity of that country.