November 22, 2025 | 09:51 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has announced a mutual visa-free policy for citizens traveling between Indonesia and South Africa. The announcement was made during the Indonesia-Africa CEO Forum in Johannesburg on Friday afternoon, November 21, 2025.
Gibran revealed the policy during the first official agenda of his working visit to South Africa. This visa exemption serves as a tangible result of the meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta last October.
"President Ramaphosa's visit to Indonesia a few weeks ago reflects the close cooperation between the two countries. Both Presidents agreed on visa-free entry, so I think this is good news for all of you: no more visas," Gibran said, as reported by Antara.
In a joint press statement during his October visit to Jakarta, President Ramaphosa and President Prabowo expressed hope to accelerate cooperation agreements. They planned to deploy technical teams to discuss concrete programs, including travel regulations.
"We also hope to establish closer cooperation in the field of inter-societal regulation, for example, mutual visa-free regulation," President Prabowo said at the time.
Further in his speech, Gibran emphasized Indonesia's commitment to expanding foreign investment in South Africa, particularly in the agriculture and energy sectors. He noted that South Africa is a strategic partner and a gateway for Indonesia to penetrate the broader African market. Conversely, Indonesia offers industrial capacity, skilled human resources, manufacturing networks, technology, and access to the ASEAN market.
During the event, Gibran also commended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strategic industry.
"Africa is developing very rapidly and is full of potential. Africa is the future, and Indonesia wants to build that future together with Africa," Gibran stated, affirming that Indonesia stands ready to assist as a future partner.
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