ANA reports that Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize on Friday announced terms and conditions of the new four-year nonrenewable permit regime for close to 200,000 Zimbabweans based in SA.  

Mkhize indicated:  “Conditions of the new Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) dispensation entitles the holder to work, study and, or, to conduct business, if that person is an entrepreneur.  It’s important to emphasise that it [the ZEP] does not entitle the holder the right to apply for permanent residence, irrespective of the period of stay in the Republic of South Africa.  It will neither be renewable or extendable.”  The permits of the 197,941 holders of the current Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP) expire in December.  Meantime, the Zimbabwean community in SA has called for the inclusion of undocumented Zimbabweans in the new permit criteria.  According to Ngqabutho Mabhena of the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa:  "Our wish certainly is that we should have these other Zimbabweans that are not on special permits and documented.”

• Read the ANA report at The Citizen
• Read too, Calls for illegal Zimbabweans to be included in new permits, at eNCA

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