A TOTAL of 613 foreign travellers have been barred from entering South Africa during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the Home Affairs Department said yesterday.

A TOTAL of 613 foreign travellers have been barred from entering South Africa during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the Home Affairs Department said yesterday.

Department spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said since the beginning of the month people were denied entry because their names appeared either on the Interpol, Fifa or South Africa's Visa and Entry Stop List.

"The 613 foreign travellers were detected through South Africa's movement control system launched in May this year," Mamoepa said.

In Dubai, South African Home Affairs airline liaison officers prevented two Pakistanis from boarding flights to South Africa.

This was after they were found in possession of fraudulent South African temporary resident's permits, he said.

"The details of the two Pakistanis have now been placed on South Africa's Visa and Entry Stop List. The South African movement control system, which is linked to law enforcement agencies and the South African Revenue Services, also prevented 32 soccer hooligans from Argentina and England from entering the country," he said.

Home Affairs border and incidence management also refused entry to more than 14000 foreign travellers who violated South Africa's Immigration Act by being in possession of lost or stolen passports.

Since the beginning of the month, more than two million (2173764) foreign travellers - including South Africans returning from abroad - entered the country.

This represents a 32percent increase of 523 798 from the total of 1649966 foreign travellers who visited South Africa last year. - Sapa