Some 180,000 Zimbabweans have applied for official documentation to allow them to stay, work, study and conduct businesses legally in So...
“The Department of Home Affairs is pleased to announce that
it has completed the adjudication and printing of 178,172 applications for the
Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP),” said spokesman Thabo Makgola.
The opening of applications for the ZEP was announced in
September 2017 following the expiry of the Zimbabwean Special Permit (ZSP).
Of the 180,000 applications, 108,485 permits were processed
and had been collected, said Makgola.
Meanwhile, 39,089 were in the process of being collected or
sent to the various collection offices, he added.
The department has urged 1,932 applicants who had expired
passports to contact the Zimbabwean consulate, as their application could not
be processed. While this may be a relief for many, it still denies Zimbabweans
permanent residency in South Africa.
The department said it had met with the Zimbabwean
Consulate which had undertaken to expedite the passport applications of those
who did apply. The ZEP came into effect in January 2018, and it will expire in
December 2021.
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