There are also reports that Operation Dudula is selling jobs held by Zimbabweans to South Africans.

The latest court action opens up another front in a legal battle between Zimbabweans facing potential deportation next year and the Department of Home Affairs. Image: AdobeStock
The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Holders Association (Zepha) heads to court next week seeking an urgent interdict to stop banks and schools in South Africa from harassing Zimbabweans who are under threat of deportation once the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) system expires in 2023.
Thousands of Zimbabweans living and working in SA under the ZEP system have been told by local SA banks to provide a valid visa or permit within seven days, failing which the matter will be reported to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in terms of Section 45 of the Immigration Act.
Asked to comment on the request for ZEP holders to provide a valid visa or permit within seven days, FNB told Moneyweb in August that it was “monitoring developments regarding the status of Zimbabwean exemption permits and [the bank] communicates regularly to customers who may be affected”.
“Our latest communication to customers who are ZEP holders aims to inform them about the most recent directive from the Department of Home Affairs and the options available to them.”
“This is shocking … The banks are being weaponised against Zimbabweans in SA,” says Zepha legal representative Advocate Simba Chitando.
“This is how it started with the Jews in 1930s Germany. Zimbabweans, who make a huge contribution to the SA economy, are being harassed and intimidated by banks, and now schools, several of which are refusing to enrol the children of ZEP holders,” claims Chitando.
“There is a steady process of de-humanising Zimbabweans, stripping them of banking facilities and eventually forcing them out of the country.”

Chitando’s comments follow reports that Zimbabweans working and paying tax in SA for more than a decade are being charged as foreigners at local hospitals.
The latest court challenge opens up another front in a legal tussle that pits Zimbabweans living and working in SA against the DHA and Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
Three groups â€` Zepha, the Helen Suzman Foundation and the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation â€` are challenging the DHA decision to end the ZEP system, which was introduced more than a decade ago to legitimise the status of Zimbabweans fleeing political and

economic turmoil at home.
The ZEP scheme has been extended three times under different names over the last decade, but Motsoaledi announced last year that the scheme would not be renewed.
Some 178 000 Zimbabweans have until June 2023 to apply for alternative visas or either leave the country voluntarily or be deported.
Chitando says private companies are capitalising on the persecution of Zimbabweans by offering to assist them in applying for visas they are unlikely to get because they do not qualify in terms of the DHA’s Critical Skills list.
Operation Dudula
“There are also reports of Operation Dudula [‘force out’ in isiZulu] members approaching petrol stations and restaurants with demands that all employed Zimbabweans, including ZEP holders, be replaced with South African nationals within 10 days. This is to form the basis of a separate criminal complaint against Operation Dudula,” says Chitando.
“These actions are obviously unlawful, and we shall seek relief from the courts. What is especially concerning is reports from Zimbabweans that Dudula are selling jobs held by Zimbabweans to South Africans for anywhere between R2 000 and R5 000,” he adds.
“Should this be proven true, it suggests that Dudula, apart from being a self-evident terror organisation intimidating foreign nationals, is also an organised crime network profiting from calculated terror campaigns at places of employment. It speaks to a complete breakdown of the rule of law in South Africa,” Chitando says.
“It has also come to my attention that there are companies offering desperate ZEP holders services to acquire visas they do not qualify for.
“My advice to ZEP holders, and the public, is that the ZEP case dealing with the legality of the decision by the Minister of Home Affairs will be heard on 11 to 14 April 2023, and all ZEP holders are lawful residing in South Africa until 30 June 2023,” he adds.
“It is unethical, and unlawful, for anyone to exploit ZEP holders, pending a lawful judgment by the court.”
The Helen Suzman Foundation and Zepha have argued in court papers that the threat of deporting hundreds of thousands of ZEP holders, including family members, will create one of the worst humanitarian crises the region has seen in decades.
www.samigration.com V.4574

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.

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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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