by AKANI CHAUKE
PRETORIA, (CAJ News) – THERE are mixed reactions to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruling against South African Home Affairs’ decision to terminate the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP).
The ruling allows 178 000 Zimbabweans to live and work in the neighbouring country after the court ruled the termination as “unlawful” and “unconstitutional.”
The ruling was met with varied feelings.
Others concurred with the high court ruling that the Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi acted unjustly, improperly, unlawfully, illegally and illegitimately.
Some accused the high court of being unfair to the South African Home Affairs’ push for not renewing permits for the Zimbabweans.
Those who opposed the high court ruling accused Zimbabweans of taking their jobs, women and businesses.
President for ActionSA, Herman Mashaba, widely believed to be xenophobic and anti-foreign nationals reacted: “Another ANC (African National Congress) failure to protect our country’s sovereignty. The Minister (of Home Affairs) must appeal a decision if serious about the plight of the 12 million unemployed South Africans.”
Patriotic Alliance leader, Gayton McKenzie. Photo by Eugene Coetzee
Another opposition leader, Gayton McKenzie, of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), tweeted: “This country (South Africa) has been nationalised by illegal foreigners. I am gutted. Our only hope is a new government that is agreeing to mass-deportation. We are in deep trouble.”
One called Mukue Maidza stated: “I will not rule out a ‘Zimbabwean’ becoming a president of South Africa in my lifetime. As hard as it is, our fellow South African counterparts should accept the bitter fact that the challenge of legal and illegal Zim immigrants in their country is not going away anytime soon.”
Pat Kumalo suggested that the Home Affairs minister should appeal the high court ruling while the majority insisted the minister acted emotionally instead of being professional in the handling of the matter.
Roger Swazi queried the notion urging the Home Affairs minister not to waste taxpayers’ money appealing: “Why appeal? Have you read the judgement first? Politicians (are) wasting our money with knee jerk appeals. Read judgement, see if order is reasonable, amend or repeat the process.”
One only identified as Nkosinathi dismissed ActionSA’s president notions saying: “Herman (Mashaba) courts simply said ministry (Home Affairs) went about this the wrong way, courts did not say Zimbabweans must stay here at all costs, Minister Motsoaledi must do things properly, even you at your company Herman you just don’t fire someone, (but) you follow a procedure).
South Africa Home Affairs Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi
Seima Moloi concurred: “There is no correlation between immigrants and the unemployed in SA (South Africa). When the borders were a fortress, and the environment in SA as toxic to enter as at the height of the COVID-9 pandemic, was unemployment better or worse? It’s apartheid mi(nd) bra.”
Others such as Africano accused Mashaba’s utterances about the 12 million people unemployed arguing if the opposition cared so much, he would not have used R12.5 million on “a fake book” instead of channeling the money towards economic empowerment of the unemployed youths.
One called Patriot dismissed the people rushing to make comments about the high court ruling even without seeing its verdict in full insisting: “Am not bothering myself with answering to doff (foolish) people who have not read the judgment.”
– CAJ News