The Zimbabwe Embassy is engaging South Africa`s Home Affairs
department to ensure that all those eligible for permits in that
country access them by end of this month, the embassy`s
consular-general, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro has said.
Zimbabwe and South Africa have a special agreement under the Zimbabwe
Exemption Permits (ZEP) that allows Zimbabweans to work in the country.
More than 169 000 ZEP beneficiaries are still being processed after
the South African government announced a renewal of the permits last year.
Mukonoweshuro urged Zimbabweans residing in South Africa to be patient
as they were protocols to be observed before the issuance of permits.
“The process of issuing out a permit is not instant, it is long. There
is a lot of verification that takes place before the permit is issued.
The greatest challenge we have been facing so far is that a large
number of people have expired passports. At one point we had 1000
people with expired passports and they were told to address that first
before they can be issued with passports.
“The process also includes the verification of each and every
individual who applied for a permit to ensure they do not have any
criminal record. With the high number of people who applied, the
process is bound to take long,” he said.
“The ambassador and myself are going to be meeting with the South
African Home Affairs Department to discuss this issue and hopefully by
end of this month the process of issuing out permits will be
concluded,” he said.
The delay in issuing out permits has reportedly left a large number of
Zimbabweans, especially teachers, stranded as they cannot conduct any
work in the country without permits.
The objectives of the permits are to regularise Zimbabweans residing
in South Africa illegally, curb the deportation of Zimbabweans who
were in SA illegally, reduce pressure on the asylum seeker and refugee
regime, and provide amnesty to Zimbabweans who obtained SA documents
fraudulently.
The deputy South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Linda Maso, said in
as far as they were concerned the process of permits was going on
smoothly.
“From what l know, the process is going on well because other people
have been issued with permits already. I think the delay will be
related to the volume of applications that were received. The process
takes long so we hope that all those who applied will be addressed as
soon as possible,” he said.
The Zimbabwean Special Dispensation Permit (ZSP) was introduced in 2014.
The ZSP allowed permit holders to live, work, conduct business and
study in South Africa, for the duration of the permit, which was valid
until 31 December, 2017.
A large number of citizens from across the region were given an
opportunity to legally

contribute to the national and regional
development of South Africa and SADC.
Over the years, many citizens from various parts of the region have
relocated to South Africa for numerous reasons, chief among them to
seek employment.
South Africa has the second largest economy in Africa and it remains
one of the most important trading partners for most countries on the
continent.
According to the Embassy of South Africa, there are requirements that
one needs to meet before acquiring a permit and a visa to visit, study
or work in the country.
“A visitor`s visa which is for international travellers (citizens of
other countries) is issued to people who wish to visit the country on
a temporary basis for tourism or business purposes for a period of 90
days or less.
“The visa simply indicates that your application has been reviewed at
a South African embassy, mission or consulate and that the consular
officer has determined you are eligible to enter the country for a
specific purpose,” says the embassy.
Visas are issued for a fee that is payable in different currencies in
different countries.
The South African government issues out visas to foreigners who seek
to visit their family or friends and also for tourism purposes.
A visa can be issued for a spouse to join a spouse who is in South
Africa on a work or study visa and for one to join parents who are in
South Africa on work or study visas.
Visas can also be issued for study purposes, charitable or voluntary
activities, research, conferences, to work in the production of a
movie or show, for medical purposes and sport events.
For one to acquire a visa, they require a passport or travel document
valid for no less than 30 days after the expiry of their intended visit.
“Your passport must have at least one unused page for entry. A
completed Form BI-84 (application for a visa), payment of the
prescribed fee, statement and/or documentation confirming the purpose
and duration of your visit, two colour passport photographs,” says the
South African Embassy.
The country offers 12 types of temporary residence visas - the work
visa, the general work visa, business visa, critical skills visa and
intra-company transfer visa.
There is the corporate visa, study visa, exchange visa, retired
person’s visa, relative’s visa and medical treatment visa.
The work visa requires one to apply and submit a duly completed
application form signed by the applicant, a passport valid for no less
than 30 days after the expiry of intended visit, and a police clearance. V.2520

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In exciting news for digital nomads, South Africa will launch a new digital nomad visa featuring two categories: a remote working visa and a critical skills visa. These visas aim to attract remote workers and skilled professionals globally as part of South Africa’s efforts to position itself as a global hub. Once put into action, this move will establish the country as only the fifth African nation offering this kind of visa to people who spend long periods working in different countries. V.5338
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The Home Affairs official was accused of selling passports at R3,000 to foreigners A 34-year-old former Department of Home Affairs employee will spend the weekend behind bars after being arrested on fraud and corruption charges. Malusi Mlondo appeared briefly in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody. V.5329
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A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022. A United Kingdom (UK) citizen - who laid a criminal charge of corruption against a Home Affairs official who wanted R60 000 to renew the retirement visas of him and his wife - is still waiting for the police probe to show results. He is also still waiting for the visas he applied for in 2022. V.5331
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With just a few weeks to go until the 2024 elections, the Department of Home Affairs has publicized the nation`s identification document (ID) process. The department acknowledges the critical role of voter identification in facilitating participation and ensuring electoral fairness. Delays and inefficiencies at Home Affairs have historically impeded the democratic right to vote, particularly affecting those in rural areas. V.5332
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SAUDI VISA FOR AFRICAN CITIZENS South Africa is not among the countries exempt from Saudi Arabia visa requirements, therefore a Saudi Arabia visa is required. South Africans need a current visa to travel to Saudi Arabia lawfully. South African citizens can obtain a Saudi electronic visa. Saudi Arabia is located in the Middle East. The eVisa is an electronic visa that permits citizens from approximately 50 countries to travel to Saudi Arabia for tourism. V.5333
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I recently renewed my passport at Home Affairs in a bank branch and was very impressed with the service and quick turnaround time. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and major banks first launched the option to do Smart ID card and passport applications via select bank branches in 2016. It has slowly grown to around 30 locations, including branches from Absa, Discovery Bank, FNB, Investec, Nedbank, and Standard Bank. V.5334
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The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has spent over R412.95 million in legal fees since the start of the 2018/19 financial year - with over R117.69 million of this spent between 1 April 2023 and 29 February 2024. This was revealed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, in a recent written response in parliament. DHA has seen an exponential increase in the amount that it spends on litigation, with the current amount for 2023/24 (note these figures are until the end of February, several months short of the full financial year) nearly 16 times that of the amount spent in 2018/19. V.5335
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Short on time? Here are the highlights: • Following recent announcements from British Columbia and Ontario, Nova Scotia becomes the latest Canadian province to declare how its quota of study permit applications for 2024 will be distributed across sectors and institutions • As in Ontario, private institutions and language schools stand to be the most negatively affected by the distribution arrangement, but some public universities will also see significant reductions in study permit applications • All Canadian provinces have now distributed their allocation of study permit applications for 2024, and all are now also issuing provincial attestation letters (PALs) V.5336
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