New research has revealed that the cancellation of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP) Visas will harm South Africans as well. The ZEP was discontinued in December 2021, and holders were given a deadline to switch to another immigration category in South Africa. The deadline has been extended multiple times, and the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, is appealing the Pretoria High Court ruling that declared the termination of ZEPs unconstitutional.
The research, conducted by the Centre of Sociological Research and Practice at the University of Johannesburg, highlights the social and economic value that migrants bring to the country. It notes that the cancellation of ZEP visas will harm South Africans in the sense that there will be a loss of revenue for local producers and retailers if there are fewer people purchasing goods in South Africa to send back to Zimbabwe. This, in turn, could impact jobs and rental income. Reads the report:
Either way, dislocating ZEP holders will negatively affect South Africans too. For example, local producers and retailers will lose revenue if there are fewer people buying goods in South Africa to send back to Zimbabwe, and that could affect jobs. There’s also rental income that will be lost.
We would lose a great many friends, neighbours and spouses, face diminished variety and shrinking horizons, and diminish the value of life. Migration enriches everyone, far beyond cold economic benefits.
But the official South African approach to international migration seems increasingly utilitarian and decreasingly about people, increasingly focused on manipulating the labour force and ‘surplus population’.
The research also underscores that many ZEP holders have established their lives in South Africa and have no prospects to return to in Zimbabwe. Families have been formed, including marriages with South Africans, and children’s visas are dependent on their parents’ permits. The cancellation of ZEPs will have a severe impact on these individuals and their families.
The report argues that the conditions that led to the creation of the ZEP have not improved in Zimbabwe, making the cancellation unjustified. One ZEP holder who was a participant to the study said:
I have two kids, aged 15 and 13, in South Africa. I have nothing in Zimbabwe. So, the reason why these permits were given in the first place – must still be implemented. Because the very same reasons still exist, the economic situation is still the same, nothing has changed.
People are still flocking into South Africa, if anything – they should be making more people apply for these permits.
The study also found that the process of applying for permits and alternate visas has become costly and burdensome, particularly due to time-bound documentation requirements and online application difficulties. This creates a paradox where the government criticizes undocumented migration but makes it challenging for individuals to formalize their status.