Johannesburg - United States musician and actor Yasiin Bey, better known as Mos Def, will be declared an undesirable person and will not be allowed to re-enter South Africa in future, the home affairs department said on Tuesday.
Mos Def, who also goes by the name Dante Terrell Smith, has been in hot water with the department since January after trying to leave the country with a document that is not officially recognised in South Africa.
“For his conduct, Mr Smith Bey will be declared an undesirable person by the Director-General of Home Affairs in terms of Section 30 of the Immigration Act of 2002,” the department said in a statement, following a media briefing, on Tuesday morning.
“He will therefore not qualify for a port of entry visa or admission to the republic.”
However, Mos Def could apply for a waiver, for good cause, in terms of Section 2 of the same act, it said.
He was arrested in Cape Town in January and charged with contravening immigration laws after attempting to leave the country using a document called a world passport.
South Africa does not recognise this as a valid passport.