The new regulations were published 'without the constitutional requirement of following due process or considering public comments'. Applicants will have to jump through hoops to get a digital nomad visa and if they stay for longer than six months, they'll have to register with SARS.

South Africa finally has a "digital nomad visa" (DNV), aimed at foreigners who wish to spend up to three years working remotely in the country.

It might sound like a good idea, but freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs will not qualify, nor will those earning below a million rand a year, and if they want to stay here for longer than six months, they will have to pay tax in South Africa.

For years, the government has faced criticism for its apathetic response to the digital nomad trend, which has elsewhere boosted economies as digital nomads stimulate tourism, hospitality and other businesses.

While welcomed by many tourism stakeholders, others have poured scorn on how the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) was not only slow to capitalise on the economic opportunity these DNVs offer, but also how it conducted the process and then rushed through the regulations.

The announcement has raised questions about whether Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi even bothered to listen to any public comments because the final amendments are identical to the draft published in February.

Then there's the small matter of its timing: the Second Amendment of the Immigration Regulations was promulgated a day before the closing date...