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Sunday Times reports that with less than three months to go before the expiry of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) regime, about 178,000 permit holders – currently lawful residents in SA – face an uncertain future.
Much will depend on the outcome of a case to be heard in the Pretoria High Court this week. The special permits, which allowed Zimbabweans to regularise their stay in the country, were introduced in 2009 in response to a political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe that caused an exodus into SA. The permit regime was extended in 2014 and 2017. In November 2021, the government announced it would “no longer issue extensions to the Zimbabwean special dispensations” and gave holders a year to get their immigration status in order. A further six months was later added. The decision meant that permit holders would now be in the same position as other foreign nationals in SA and must apply for the same visas and permits as everyone else. Legal challenges to the decision by home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi were launched by the Helen Suzman Foundation and the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation. Thousands of ZEP holders are at risk of being left undocumented, exposing them to the dangers of xenophobic attacks, human trafficking, extortion and the threat of arrest, detention and deportation. But, the government says the exemption regime was never meant to be permanent. “This was made clear at all times. The coming to an end of an exemption which was always temporary does not implicate the right to dignity of the beneficiaries ... simply because it has come to an end.” the counsel for the government indicated in written argument.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Franny Rabkin at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page