Al Manhal Schools Exploitation, Violation of Human Rights

EXIT VISA! EXIT VISA! EXIT VISA! Had someone, anyone, ever mentioned those two words to me, or at least listed them somewhere in the mountain of documentation I had to complete prior to my going to work in Saudi Arabia, I never would have gone. I am immensely certain that many people who read this will feel exactly the same way. Thus, I not only submit this piece as a formal complaint about Al Manhal Schools (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), the South African Embassy in Riyadh Saudi Arabia and of course Dynamic Personnel (South African recruitment agency), but also as a public service so as to warn unsuspecting individuals like myself about the mess you will end up in when dealing with Al Manhal Schools and Dynamic Personnel, not to mention the lack of assistance one might face when approaching our South African embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. To be clear, this notion of an “exit visa” is something that really ought to be explicitly stated to prospective expats prior to their going to Saudi Arabia. In addition, places like Al Manhal should be prevented from exploiting this visa in the manner in which they do. Very basically what this exit visa thing entails is that as an expat you are essentially held in Saudi Arabia like a prisoner or a slave by your employer. Despite having your passport in hand, you will not be allowed to exit the country without the permission of your employer. The employer (in this case Al Manhal Schools) would need to apply for an Exit Visa. This is both ludicrous and archaic, thus having absolutely no place in a 21st century society. Yes, for those who have read this far, you are indeed understanding the matter correctly: You may not exit Saudi Arabia without the consent of your employer!!!! You will, as I found out, be turned away at border control. Thus, once you land in Saudi Arabia to take up a position, you are essentially held there as both a prisoner and a slave. Frightening, right? I mean, seriously, who would ever expect such a law and practice to be in existence in present times? Clearly the restriction of one’s freedom of movement (especially preventing one’s return to one’s home country when one has not acted ********ly within the visiting country) is a gross violation of basic human rights. Indeed, such a practice could never be in line with the basic principles supported by the International Human Rights Commission and the United Nations commission on Human rights. The basic right of freedom of movement is certainly one supported by many a Human Rights society/council etc. Where the exploitation of this ludicrous Saudi law comes in is as follows: employers like Al Manhal Schools insist on being paid exorbitant amounts of money to simply apply for this exit visa on your behalf, should you wish to leave prior to the completion of your contract. This is problematic in that should an emergency in your home country crop up, for instance the ailment or death of a loved one, the school has the power to simply refuse to let you return home until you pay them a large sum of money. In the case of Al Manhal School it is three month’s worth of salary which amounts to roughly R 120 000. Keep in mind that the process of leaving your home country and arriving in Saudi Arabia also costs quite a bit as visa applications, agent fees and medicals as well as having applications expedited (because this is South Africa and everything takes forever) costs several thousands. One could easily be out R 200 000 should one go over to Saudi and then, for whatever reason need to breach one’s contract. I, like so many others, remained completely oblivious to the existence of this strange thing called an “exit visa” until I arrived in Saudi Arabia. As soon as I found out I went straight to the school administration (this was on my second day of being In Saudi Arabia) to make clear to them that I was not at all comfortable working under such conditions and as such I would prefer to terminate my contract. Let’s face it, who in their right mind would want to be trapped in a country where you are basically a prisoner or a slave because you need permission to leave? I was immediately told (on Day 2 of being in Saudi Arabia and day 1 of my job) that if I wanted to terminate my contract I would have to cough up 3 months salaries. Clearly that is ludicrous as I had not even worked for them for a single day, plus I was still in my probationary period, a period in which no obligation is owed to either party should one decide that the fit is not right. In this day and age I still find it absolutely baffling that such a thing (exit visa) even exists. This is tantamount to modern day human trafficking, to which both Al Manhal and Dynamic Personnel are complicit.

On my very second day in Saudi Arabia I visited the South African Embassy (in Riyadh) where I received little to no assistance whatsoever. Now, in all honesty I am not one of those people who expect an embassy to fight their battles for them, however one of the functions of an Embassy or Consular office, as stated on their website, is to provide humanitarian assistance to South Africans in distress as well as to assist in instances where there are restrictions on the freedom of movement of South Africans abroad. In my case (and the case of many who fell victim to this exit visa ****, because that’s what it is since nobody brings it to your attention prior to your arrival in Saudi Arabia) my freedom of movement was certainly restricted and as such I was in distress. But of course, as is the case when one goes to many a government office in South Africa, the service and assistance received leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, I must mention that I have visited South African embassies in both Australia and Canada in the past, and I certainly found them to be far more welcoming and willing to assist than what was experienced in Riyadh. I fear that the service, or lack thereof at the embassy in Riyadh was simply because of an all too clichéd problem in contemporary South Africa, being that of reversed ******. Yes, you can claim that “reversed ******” does not exist because black people cannot be ******. However, when one takes power away from a group of individuals simply because of the structural social group to which they belong, that indeed is a form of oppression. Furthermore, if such power is taken away on the basis of one’s race, then the form of oppression is ******. I am a man of colour, but in South Africa, in many settings I am simply regarded as not being black enough. Hence, my expression of “reversed ******.” Had I been blacker, it is undoubtable that the staff at the South African embassy (Riyadh) would have been more empathetic and willing to assist.

Now, I have copied multiple bodies in on this communication, so perhaps I ought to explain what it is I either expect from each body, or the reason why I copied each in (As I don’t expect anything from some of the bodies herein). In respect of Al Manhal Schools and Dynamic Personal, I merely hope that this serves as a reason for each of you to change your practices. Al Manhal: Stop exploiting the system to your advantage and taking advantage of unsuspecting individuals. If your working conditions as well as the living conditions provided by the school were more pleasant, you would not have so many teachers wanting to leave. For instance, I would suggest that you stop treating the staff like children by punishing them with salary cuts for any silly mistake made by them. In most countries this is, in fact ********, but obviously not in yours. You have far more rules for staff than you do for students. Also, stop cheapening the profession of education by lowering the standards of education in your school to such a degree that all students know that regardless of their performance they will pass, simply because their parents are paying large sums of money for them to be there. Dynamic Personnel: Have the decency and professionalism to inform South Africans that once they arrive in Saudi Arabia they will require the express permission of their employer to leave, should they wish to exit the country during the duration of their contract. Surely you are answerable to some authority which governs recruitment agencies. For this reason I have copied APSO in on this correspondence. Being one of the largest bodies governing recruitment in South Africa it is hoped that your organisation will take swift action to ensure that recruitment agencies in South Africa are held to account for their actions, as well as being compelled to conduct business in a transparent and ethical manner (hiding the fact that an exit visa is required is neither transparent nor ethical). I have copied in various human rights organisations, both locally and abroad as it is hoped that through this correspondence you will continue to push for change especially in countries in and around the middle East where gross violations of human rights are far too common-place. I have included DIRCO in this correspondence as it is hoped that action will be taken to ensure better assistance and support for South African citizens should they approach an embassy abroad. Finally, I have included the political party, the Democratic Alliance, in this correspondence as both notably and reputably they are one of very few political parties in South Africa who have always enjoyed my full support due to their constantly striving to promote basic human rights, **** out the incompetence of the African National Congress, and above all their commitment to “getting things done” as their slogan says, leaves me quite satisfied that this concern will not fall on deaf ears with them, but rather a matter as serious and worrying as the one described above, will indeed be addressed in places where real change can in fact take place.

Kind regards, Dr. Wade Cafun LLB, PGCE, M.Ed, Ph.D (ukzn)