Mystery solved: Ayra Starr was denied a South African visa over a wrong yellow fever certificate—not xenophobia

South Africa’s Consul-General to Nigeria, Prof Bobby Moroe, has revealed that Nigerian singer Ayra Starr was initially denied a South African visa in February 2024 not because of discrimination, but because she submitted a yellow fever certificate from the wrong country rather than her home country Nigeria, Saturday PUNCH reports.

Moroe said the matter was subsequently resolved and Starr was granted a one-year visa to perform in South Africa. “Subsequently, the matter was resolved amicably and they were granted a one-year visa to go and perform in South Africa in 2024, and I think that was what they forgot to mention,” he said.