Healthy Enough to Enter? : Exploring the nexus of the body and the border through South African visa medical requirements

Abstract: Visitors to South Africa wishing to stay in the country for longer than three months are required to submit a medical report which makes room for a host of physical and mental “defects”, including leprosy, venereal disease, trachoma, disabilities and mental health disorders ranging from addictions to epilepsy. The form appears to be an object that points to a multiplicity of interpretations as well as inconsistencies. It is a piece of paper encountered by several actors key to the immigration process – policy makers, visa applicants, doctors and lawyers – and through its use, showcases the tensions that exist between these sites. Furthermore, as a mandatory visa document, the medical form directs us to examine the relationship between the individual body and the exercise of state power.