Just Do It - Or Don't

"I had an issue with being an African in Africa, being turned away because I do not have a visa"— Nigerian Billionaire Abdul Samad Rabiu Reveals that He was Denied Entry to South Africa After His Visa Had Expired a Day Before his Arrival BUA Group founder and chief executive officer Abdul Samad Rabiu says he was denied entry into South Africa after immigration officials discovered that his visa had expired a day before his arrival. Rabiu shared the incident during the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, while speaking on Africa’s economic growth and policy challenges. Rabiu said the incident happened in February 2025 when he travelled from Lagos to Cape Town for the Mining Indaba conference. According to him, he arrived in Cape Town at about 6am before immigration officials informed him that his South African visa had expired the previous day without his knowledge. "I had an issue with being an African in Africa, being turned away because I do not have a visa and foreigners from other continents were coming in and were allowed to enter without a visa. This must change." He said. The businessman said he and his team spent about four hours at the airport before he was eventually returned to Lagos. Rabiu claimed that while they waited, several flights carrying mostly European passengers arrived and those travellers were allegedly allowed into South Africa without visas. Rabiu said he accepted responsibility for travelling with an expired visa but criticised the treatment of Africans within the continent. He said his concern was that Africans were still facing restrictions in African countries while foreigners from other regions were being granted easier access into South Africa.