Johannesburg – The department of international relations would continue in its attempts to rectify the travel restrictions of former ANC freedom fighters in some international countries, it said on Monday.

“The SA government has repeatedly raised this matter with the US and will continue until this matter is sorted,” said international relations spokesperson Clayson Monyela.

The New Age reported earlier that ANC stalwart Tokyo Sexwale had been briefly detained by immigration control at the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York last week.

His lawyer Leslie Makhabela said: “They alleged he posed a threat to international security.”

Sexwale and many other anti-apartheid activists had been on a list of people banned from entering several countries since the apartheid era.

They were not removed after the country gained democracy in 1994.

Sexwale had since returned to the country.

EWN reported on Monday that Sexwale was embarrassed by the incident, and was also surprised, as there had been assurances 10 years ago that the names had been removed.

SAPA