Ugandan immigration and security authorities on Tuesday claimed to have deported South African music icon Yvonne Chaka Chaka ahead of her End of Year and New Year performance in Kampala, over visa irregularities, a police spokesperson said.
Fred Enanga, Uganda’s police spokesperson, said Chaka Chaka, who was supposed to perform at the Buganda Kingdom End of Year Show, dubbed Enkuuka Y’Omwaka at Mengo, was escorted to Entebbe International Airport, about 40km south of the capital to board a flight back to South Africa.
“The security task team in close coordination with immigration officials has this afternoon escorted Chaka Chaka to Entebbe International airport where she boarded her immediate flight to South Africa via Kigali [Rwanda],” said Enanga.
“The foreign musician had initially been granted an ordinary visa which was cancelled by immigration officials after it was realised she had come as a performing artist in one of the New Year events,” he said.
The police spokesperson said Chaka Chaka together with her promoters were advised to apply for a working visa for her music performance and avoid the pretence of being an ordinary visitor.
“The ordinary visa can’t enable her to perform in any income-generating activity within the country,” said Mr Enanga.
“This has been done by the immigration officials with the security team to help maintain the integrity of our immigration rules to all visitors to our country including foreign musicians,” he said.
Chaka Chaka disagrees. In a 40-second video clip uploaded on Twitter by Chaka Chaka, she told South Africans she was fine and left of her own accord.
She said she cancelled her performance and that she was not detained nor deported.
“I took a decision not to appear because there were just too many things I could not understand or explain,” Chaka said.
She also tweeted an image of her business-class ticket as proof that she was not deported.