Over 100K Zimbabweans Face Deportation, Only 6k ZEP Holders Respond to Home Affairs' Call to Make Arrangements

• More than 100 000 Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders could be deported by the end of the year
• At least 6 000 Zimbabwean nationals responded to Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s call to review their status
• Home Affairs director-general said about a million undocumented Zimbabweans are living in SA

JOHANNESBURG - Only 6 000 of the 178 000 Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders have responded to Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s appeal to review their status in the country.

The permit will expire at the end of the year. The department has called for Zimbabwean immigrants’ employers to prepare their workers to be deported.

Home Affairs Director-General Livhuwani Tommy Makhode said Zimbabwean nationals who hold the permit and met the requirements of Section 26 of the Immigration Act were entitled to apply for permanent residence in the country, TimesLIVE reported.

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Pack your bags: Government warns South African employers of ZEP holders to make arrangements before permits expire

The ZEPs were a temporary service granted to Zimbabweans who moved to South Africa before 2009 to regulate their presence in the country. The department responded to the Helen Suzman Foundation, which took legal action over its decision not to extend the exemption permit.

The permits were initially intended to be given to a large group of undocumented Zimbabweans. However, over the years, the figures of those using the permits have steadily declined.

Makhode said ZEP holders are entitled to explain why their permits should not be terminated or extended for a period longer. He said that the Helen Suzman Foundation could only seek to challenge Motsoaledi’s decision to extend the ZEPs for 12 months.

Makhode said about a million undocumented Zimbabweans are living in South Africa, according to News24.

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Government to expel over 100 000 Zimbabweans as Zimbabwean Exemption Permit expires

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported the Department of Home Affairs is forging ahead with its plan to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) and has told South African employers of Zimbabwean immigrants using the ZEP to start preparing ahead of December 2022.

The controversial move announced by Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has been challenged in several courts.

SABC News reported that the ZEP was a temporary measure meant to standardise the presence of Zimbabweans in South Africa and allow them access to South African services.

Source: Briefly News