View pictures in App save up to 80% data. Tens of thousands of Zimbabweans could be sent back over the border, in just six months’ time â€` Photo: Chris Robert / Flickr
Home Affairs have welcomed the withdrawal of an application to challenge a controversial ZEP policy being pursued by the ministry. On Friday, it was confirmed that a legal attempt stop over 178 000 Zimbabweans had fallen flat â€` giving Minister Aaron Motsoaledi a huge boost.
What is the ZEP? Home Affairs in huge court victory
The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) was given to tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who fled the country over a decade ago. The deteriorating economic and political situation back in 2008 forced many residents across the border to flee to South Africa.
They were welcomed in under the special ZEP route. However, Aaron Motsoaledi is hellbent on repealing this permit, and wants all Zimbabweans on these visas to reapply for residency through Home Affairs. Needless to say, this has caused an almighty stir.
Protests and criticism have been rife since the policy was announced earlier this year. Zimbabweans were given a grace period of 12 months to get their paperwork in order. Otherwise, by the start of 2023, they could be deported for remaining in Mzansi illegally.
Zimbabweans on

ZEP visa ‘face deportation’
There will no doubt be more barriers for Motsoaledi and Home Affairs to come. But, for the meantime, another obstacle has been cleared, and the department will continue to try and enforce a policy that is rooted in contentiousness.
“The Department of Home Affairs welcomes the withdrawal of the application filed in court by African Amity NPC and Zimbabwe Permit Holders Association under case no. 51735/21 on 14 June 2022.”
“The matter involved the challenge in court of the decision of the Minister of Home Affairs not to extend the exemptions granted to Zimbabweans. Sense seems to have prevailed â€` and the department’s doors are always open for constructive engagement with Zimbabwean nationals.”
Statement from Home Affairs
[READ] Press statement on the withdrawal of the application launched in the Gauteng division, Pretoria, in connection with the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit â€` HomeAffairsSA 🇿🇦 (@HomeAffairsSA) July 1, 2022
How can we help you , please email us to info@samigration.com whatsapp message me on:
+27 82 373 8415, where are you now? check our website : www.samigration.com V.4313

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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