ZEPHA Accuses South Africa’s DHA Of Frustrating ZEP Permit Holders
The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Holders Association (ZEPHA) accuses South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA) of blocking ZEP holders from applying for permanent residence, despite them having lived, worked, and paid taxes in South Africa for many years, as allowed by the Immigration Act.
In a memo sent to the Zimbabwean ambassador to South Africa, David Hamadziripi, ZEPHA details specific instances of discrimination that it claims have been happening, including:
- Traffic authorities have flatly refused to renew the driving licences of several ZEPHA members and then set up roadblocks searching for foreigners without licences;
- Police raids have increased in communities where Zimbabweans are concentrated;
- ZEP holders’ bank accounts have been frozen, or put on hold, by banks because their ZEP permits were deemed invalid;
- SA law enforcement has been stepped up at companies employing Zimbabweans, and this campaign of harassment has resulted in many employers terminating the employment of Zimbabwean workers;
- Dismissed Zimbabwean workers have had their Unemployment Insurance Fund and pension fund payments withheld;
- Children of ZEP permit holders have been prevented from writing exams because they lack study visas; and
- There are numerous recorded instances of Zimbabweans, including pregnant women, being denied treatment at SA hospitals.
In 2023, the Gauteng High Court ruled that the Department of Home Affairs’ decision to end the ZEP programme was unlawful and unconstitutional. The court ordered the government to engage with the ZEP community.
ZEPHA argues that, although the programme was extended until the end of 2025, many applicants for permanent residence will not be able to meet the deadline.
ZEP holders must book online appointments with the visa processing company VFS, but many have waited four months or more without receiving an appointment. As a result, their applications will not be processed before the programme expires at the end of the year.
ZEPHA said that no one can reach their full potential in such a toxic environment, which is the reality for Zimbabweans in South Africa.
The organisation has appealed to the Zimbabwean government to help speed up a program for voluntary return home. The memo concludes:
History has taught us that the return of significant numbers of the diaspora back to their country of origin, in various jurisdictions at various times, has led to economic development, transfer of skills, diversity of industry, and national pride.
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