Some Zimbabweans who applied last year are still waiting as September
deadline looms for ZEP permits
Morgan (surname withheld) applied on 7 December 2017 for a Zimbabwe
Exemption Permit. She has been tracking her application online. “Up to
now nothing new, almost nine months after submission,” she said.
Photo: Brent Meersman
Some Zimbabweans who have applied for their Zimbabwe Exemption Permits
(ZEP) are anxious about the slow progress processing their permits.
Without a valid permit to show they find their bank accounts frozen,
face difficulties registering their children at educational
institutions and even lose their jobs.
The ZEP replaces the ZSP (Zimbabwean Special Permit) which expired in
December 2017. Home Affairs issued a circular to banks, employers and
learning institutions in December that as long as people could show
proof of application for the ZEP they should continue to receive
services while their application is being adjudicated. However,
GroundUp is aware of a number of cases where banks, schools and
employers have not heeded this advisory.
Applications for the ZEP opened on 15 September 2017 and the closing
date (extended twice) was 15 February 2018.
On 31 January, Home Affairs announced that the ZEP process, including
finalising adjudications and issuing all new permits, would be
completed by the end of September 2018.
But on 6 September, Home Affairs media manager David Hlabane said in
an email response to GroundUp that the department is currently
adjudicating applications that were received before the closing date
and the process should be completed around October.
GroundUp has been trying every day since Monday to get an answer from
Home Affairs as to how many applications have been successfully
processed, but without success.
Morgan (surname withheld) applied on 7 December 2017. She has been
tracking her application online. “Up to now nothing new, almost nine
months after submission,” she said.
Cindy (surname withheld) told GroundUp in an email: “I submitted

my
paperwork in January and still nothing.” She says she was suspended
from work six weeks ago. Her employer wants her to show a valid
permit. She did provide proof of application and showed the receipt,
but she says her employer wasn’t satisfied.
A Zimbabwean man, who also wished to remain anonymous, said he
submitted a ZEP study permit for his daughter in February but he only
got an SMS notification that his daughter’s application was received
by Home Affairs on 24 August. He said his Capitec bank account has
been frozen.
Helen (surname withheld) is worried that she may not get her wages
this week after FNB froze her account in December last year. Her
employer has been paying her in cash but says the company cannot
continue to do that.
The ZEP Dispensation Forum on Facebook is encouraging Zimbabweans not
to merely check online but to actually visit the offices of Visa
Facilitation Centre (VFS), the company that processes the permits for
Home Affairs. The page has posts from people who applied in November
2017 and have not yet received their ZEPs and from people who have
been struggling without documentation.
Most Zimbabweans in South Africa have been uncertain about their
future in the country since the inception of the Dispensation of
Zimbabwean Permit (DZP) in 2010. About 245,000 DZPs were issued. It
was valid for four years and was supposed to be non-renewable. It was
later extended to three years and renamed the ZSP in 2014. Just under
200,000 ZSP permits were issued. Again in December 2016, Home Affairs
said there would be no renewal of the ZSP, but it created the ZEP in
2017, valid for four years.
On the ZEP it states that the document “doesn’t allow the holder to
apply for permanent residence irrespective of the period of stay in
South Africa. ZEP will not be renewable and the holder cannot change
conditions of the permit in SA”. V.2461

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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