South Africa has raised concerns about the way in which international opera singer Pretty Yende was treated by French police at Charles De Gaulle International Airport on Monday.
Yende was detained for several hours.
According to French police, Yende’s Italian residence permit was not valid.
The South African Embassy in Paris has written to French authorities seeking an explanation and has requested a thorough investigation into the matter.
In a statement issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) it said: “Yende’s long-term EU resident status, issued on 16/02/2015 by the Police Headquarters in Milan and with unlimited validity is provided by article 9 of the Consolidated Immigration Act (Legislative Decree 286/98) and regularly issued in accordance with European Directive 2003/109/EC, implemented by Italy and France and containing the common guidelines for the issuance of such residence permits with unlimited validity.”
Spokesperson for DIRCO, Clayson Monyela says: “Ms Yende informed the South African Embassy in Paris that she was verbally abused by the police and her rights and dignity were violated during the ordeal. The unfortunate incident took place during Ms Yende’s return to Paris to perform at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.”
