After South African authorities extended the deadline on Thursday, tens of thousands of Zimbabweans working in South Africa who were set to be deported when their work licenses expire at the end of June have been temporarily spared.
It is now possible to apply for additional visas and waivers till the end of December this year in order to continue working in the nation for the approximately 178,000 holders of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit, an immigration permit awarded in 2010 to Zimbabweans who had migrated to South Africa.
Following the political and economic unrest in Zimbabwe in 2008, which led to many people fleeing to their neighbor in southern Africa, numerous Zimbabweans, some without legal status, have since arrived in South Africa in large numbers.
Due to a number of issues, including bugs in the online application system, administrative delays and backlogs in the issuance of all visas, and the removal of some of their occupations off the country’s list of scarce skills, many risked expulsion as they sought to secure work visas.
Zimbabwe is still experiencing economic hardship, which has increased unemployment, raised food costs, and caused its currency to depreciate.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, who made the announcement, noted that the government has been getting between 1,000 and 1,500 applications per day from Zimbabweans seeking to prolong their stay in South Africa for visas and exemptions.
“The minister took into consideration the said factors, including (to a certain extent) submissions received from the affected Zimbabwean nationals, relevant officials of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and other interested parties,” said Motsoaledi’s department in a statement.
Holders of the ZEP are protected by the extension from being detained, arrested, or given eviction orders for failing to possess a valid exemption certificate.
To compel the department to extend the deadline and give applicants more time to gather the required paperwork, some civil society organisations have sued the South African government in court.
“The Zimbabwe Community in SA welcomes this extension and understands that this period must be hastily used by our community to migrate to the mainstream work permits,” said Zimbabwe Community in South Africa chairman Nicholas Mabhena.
Mabhena claimed that Zimbabwean nationals impacted by the permits included those who had already been residing and working in South Africa for a considerable amount of time prior to the permits’ issuance in 2010.
Teachers, general labourers, mechanics, domestic helpers, and gas station attendants are a few examples of people who work in these fields and provide assistance for their family back home.
“These 178,000 people we are referring to are documented migrants who are economically active, and some stand to lose their jobs along with their benefits if they can no longer work in South Africa,” Mabhena told The Associated Press.
He said that the large number of Zimbabweans leaving South Africa would have an impact on the country’s economy since they were “keeping the economy running” through their regular remittances.
Zimbabweans will vote in national elections on August 23. The ZANU-PF government has already been accused of using violence and intimidation against supporters of the opposition.
Nearly 10,000 Zimbabweans applied to obtain assistance to return to Zimbabwe at the end of June, when the permits were scheduled to expire, according to the Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa this week.
