Helen Suzman Foundation Wants Home Affairs to Reconsider Decision to End Zimbabwean Permits

• The Helen Suzman Foundation wants the Department of Home Affairs to reconsider its decision on Zimbabwean Exemption permits
• The Foundation explains that the department cannot help Zim nationals who want to legalise their stay in South Africa
• Some South Africans agree that the Home Affairs department is lacking in certain areas, while others see no problem with the department's decision

JOHANNESBURG - The Helen Suzman Foundation and other immigration stakeholders believe the Department of Home Affairs lacks the capacity to fairly facilitate the process of Zimbabwean nationals seeking to legalise their stay in South Africa.

Because of the Home Affairs department's lack of capacity, the Helen Suzman Foundation says the department should reconsider its decision to end Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP).

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According to SABC News, a 23-year-old Fine Arts student, Musa Nyathi, is one of the many people who will be forced to return to Zimbabwe in June next year if he cannot secure a different permit that allows him to stay in the country.

Nyathi has been in the country for 14 years since he was nine years old, and 2021 was supposed to be his final year of study; however, he failed one of his modules.

The Fine Arts student could not register at the Tshwane University of Technology to complete his studies this year because he had issues applying for a visa.

“I had a problem when I applied for my visa application late last year, I was told that I would have a certain grace period but when I went to apply they told me that the grace period is for refugees and people under that catalogue,” said Nyathi.

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The Helen Suzman foundation explained that there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty around Zim permits and the Covid-19 pandemic also created huge backlogs. The Foundation added that is why people like Nyathi find themselves in the situation they are in.

The Foundation and other stakeholders are taking the department to court to get the decision overturned.

According to News24, less than 10% of current ZEP holders have applied for other mainstream visas which would allow them to work, live and study in South Africa. The Zimbabwean government pleaded with Zim nationals to follow South African laws and apply for the necessary visa.

South Africans weigh in:

@MujuziProf said:

"Home Affairs is increasingly becoming less efficient. It appears that it now takes a minimum of nine months to assess a visa application (long-term visas). In the past, it used to take a few weeks."

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@akubenjalo1 said:

"Helen Suzman never said anything about the killing of innocent people in townships. Boom talking about foreigners issues because they benefit from it but are not affected."

@ISephara said:

"Immigration stakeholders such as #PutSouthAfricansFirst and #OperationDudula contend that the Department of Home Affairs has full capacity as the highest immigration institution in the land, to deal decisively with Zimbabweans seeking to regularise their stay in South Africa."

Ramaphosa blames influx of undocumented Zimbabweans on the sanctions

Briefly News previously reported that President Ramaphosa has finally addressed the issue of foreign nationals flocking into the country. He admitted that these foreigners are putting a strain on the already scarce resources in the country.

The statesman said the influx of undocumented foreigners, especially from neighbouring Zimbabwe, is due to the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West.

According to TimesLIVE, Ramaphoa called for the removal of the sanctions saying they are exerting pressure on South Africa and her citizens. He said the influx of foreign nationals has strained the country and led to unemployment and inequality.

Source: Briefly News