by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – ZIMBABWEANS intending to legalise their stay in South Africa have received a major boost after the host government extended the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) by a year.
The validity of the documents have been extended to November 25, 2025.
Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, made the announcement on Friday, saying this would give him time to consult the affected ZEP holders and other stakeholders on the future of the current dispensation.
This would also enable thousands of Zimbabweans in the neighbouring country an opportunity to apply for alternative permits after the previous administration announced the discontinuation of the ZEP at the end of 2021.
It culminated in a legal tussle between government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Home Affairs has since then been extending the validity of the permits.
Latest, they were supposed to expire on November 29.
The latest extension is reprieve to Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
“Existing ZEPs shall be deemed to remain valid for the next 12 months,” Schreiber said.
During that period, ZEP holders must not be arrested or deported.
Some 178 000 Zimbabweans are holders but scores more are illegal in the country having fled the economic and political crises in their country.
Zimbabweans are generally hailed as resourceful people but some locals accuse some of them of contributing to South Africa’s high crime statistics.
This amid an increase in Afrophobia as the continent’s largest economy struggles to create job opportunities for South Africans.
– CAJ News