Nearly 180 000 Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders living in South Africa face deportation at the end of this year if they are unable to find an alternative permits that will allow them to remain in the country.
Most ZEP holders are unlikely to qualify for the critical skills list published on February 2 2022 by Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
They say the grace period the Cabinet announced in November last year was too short for them to uproot their lives. The ZEP was introduced in 2017, replacing a series of earlier permits to regularise Zimbabweans living in South Africa since 2010.
A number of ZEP holders told GroundUp the scrapping of permits was already creating headaches for them, despite a directive sent out by the department of home affairs to banks, schools and employers to allow the holders to continue with their banking, education and work, respectively.
For example, some banks are already refusing to replace lost bank cards and some traffic departments are refusing to renew drivers’ licences, they say. People also worry that they will not be able to claim their provident funds, unemployment insurance funds and work benefits after December 30 2022.
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) wrote a letter endorsed by 49 human rights organisations to the department on December 13 2021 in an attempt to address the humanitarian and numerous other implications of the scrapping of the ZEP.
The letter asked questions about the mechanisms in place to deal with the implications for the ZEP holders. Almost three months later, the department has not responded.
“Zimbabwe remains a country in turmoil and continues to experience serious economic and political challenges, as well as violence,” the letter noted.
“Given that this special dispensation covers a time span of over a decade, many ZEP holders have built their families, lives and homes in South Africa. Estimates indicate that up to 500 000 children will be affected by this decision, resulting in a severe psychological impact as a result of uprooting their lives in South Africa and exposing them to trauma and suffering in Zimbabwe, thereby undermining the best interests of the child principle enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution.
“The ZEP scheme was implemented by [the department of home affairs], with the aim of creating a record of Zimbabweans who had, until then, been living in South Africa undocumented, granting them an amnesty and regularising undocumented Zimbabwean nationals living in South Africa.
“The implementation of the ZEP scheme further alleviated the burden placed on the asylum system … The vast majority of the ZEP holders would have been entitled to either refugee status or some kind of humanitarian protection in any event.
The letter continued:
We are concerned that the above decision is contrary

to [the department’s] initial, constructive initiative to address its backlog. It will more than likely significantly increase the category of undocumented persons in South Africa, undermining work that [the department] has undertaken in the past ten years to regularise undocumented Zimbabwean nationals living in South Africa.
Sharon Ekambaram, LHR manager for refugee and migrants rights programme, told GroundUp: “We are collecting testimonies and experiences from the ZEP holders.”
James Chapman, head of advocacy and legal adviser at the Cape Town-based Scalabrini Centre, said that although the decision taken was within the powers of the minister, this still needed to be “reasonable, just and administratively fair”.
Chapman said the centre, which offers specialised services to South Africans, migrants and refugees, was taking instructions from a number of the ZEP holders who are facing extreme difficulties. He said the requests varied from requests for permanent residency, the extension of the ZEP,and help with applications for low-skills permits.
Outlining some of the implications of the ZEP not being renewed, Chapman said: “Families would be separated. There would be children accessing school and remaining in the country, but parents no longer able to stay because the ZEP is no longer in place.
“There is a whole range of services that could well be compromised that were accessible before. For instance, during the Covid-19 pandemic there was an extension of the relief of the stress grants to asylum seekers and the ZEP holders, but if you cease to be a ZEP holder that kind of grant would no longer be accessible.
Chapman said:
Scalabrini has already begun to engage government on the issue and will continue to do so to look at the ZEP decision and alternatives available to the holders.
Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza said the department had sent individual letters to about 178 142 Zimbabweans. It had also circulated a directive to banks, employers, academic institutions and other relevant stakeholders to allow the holders to continue receiving services.
He said the department had received about 7 000 queries and responded to 2 500 to date.
“The Zimbabwean nationals are expected to migrate to one or other visas provided for in the Immigration Act. The minister has set up a special team which is currently undergoing further training to deal with the expected influx of the applications and VFS Global [through which permits applications are submitted] has been instructed to prioritise the applications of the Zimbabwean nationals,” said Qoza.
www.samigration.com V.3987

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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