Departmental spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said that since the beginning of the month, the people were denied entry because their names appear 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," he said.

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

This after they were found in possession of fraudulent South African temporary residence permits, Mamoepa 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 over 14,000 foreign travellers who violated South Africa's Immigration Act such by being in possession of lost or stolen passports.

Since the beginning of the month, over two million (2,173,764) foreign travellers -- including South Africans returning from abroad -- entered the country.

"This represents a 32 percent increase of 523,798 from the total of 1,649,966 foreign travellers who visited South Africa in 2009.

By The Times (SA)