South African opposition politician hits out after failing to get UK visa

South African firebrand absorption person Julius Malema says helium has been denied a visa to be a league successful the UK connected 10 May.

Malema said the UK had nary "substantial justification" for its decision, and helium saw it arsenic an "attempt to soundlessness a dissenting governmental perspective".

In a leaked missive to Malema's deputy, the UK High Commissioner to South Africa, Antony Phillipson, said the Home Office had been incapable to process his visa exertion successful clip for his trip.

Malema, the person of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, is simply a fierce professional of what helium sees arsenic "Western imperialism", and besides advocates the nationalisation of white-owned onshore successful South Africa.

The BBC has asked the Home Office for comment.

In a station connected X, the EFF said the High Commission had "actively delayed the processing and approval" of their leader's visa truthful that helium could not talk astatine the University of Cambridge connected 10 May.

He had been invited by the university's African Society to code its Africa Together Conference, the EFF added.

In his letter, which the BBC has been told is genuine, Mr Phillipson said that helium wanted to "personally apologise" that the Home Office successful the UK had been "unable to process the exertion successful clip owing to the indispensable steps required to see visa applications and the unfortunate timing of immoderate caller UK Bank Holidays".

He added that helium had taken a "personal involvement successful the issue" implicit the past week.

"I recognise that this volition beryllium profoundly disappointing, particularly arsenic the delegation applied successful beforehand and immoderate paid for precedence service," Mr Phillipson said, successful the missive to the EFF's Godrich Gardee.

Mr Phillipson added that the Home Office had agreed to refund the exertion fee.

Malema said connected X that the EFF delegation had been promised that "everything would beryllium sorted", but received a "regret missive conscionable hours earlier our departure".

"This is unacceptable and spineless," helium added.

The UK had a bank, oregon public, vacation connected 5 May.