Visa company bureaucracy trips up Zimbabweans Over. 4,000 Zimbabwean still do not have their special permits

Source: Groundup, 08/08/2016

Sibongile* has become unemployed and her accounts have been
deactivated. "My life is on hold," she says. Sibongile, who came to
Cape Town from Zimbabwe in 2009, has been unable to get a special
permit from the Department of Home Affairs which would allow her to
work and bank.


The Zimbabwe Special Dispensation Permit (ZSP) was implemented by Home
Affairs in 2009 (it was called the Dispensation of Zimbabweans Project
then). Its aim was to help Zimbabweans legalise their stay in South
Africa. It was renewed in 2014 and it expires on 31 December
2017.


But there have been complaints of bureaucratic hurdles making it
difficult to get a ZSP. It`s difficult to know how many people are in
the same position as Sibongile. Refugee rights organisation Passop
says it has ten such cases on its database. But there are many
more.


Tendai Bhiza of Passop says she desperately wants to know what
happened to clients` applications. "Without proper documents they face
the possibility of getting arrested or losing businesses. Some of
these people have already lost their jobs," Bhiza said.


One of those people is Sibongile. She now has to get financial support
from her cousin and by doing piece jobs. Some employers pay her very
little, taking advantage of the fact that she does not have a permit
to allow her to work legally in the country.


Bhiza says Passop sent emails to the Home Affairs official responsible
for the ZSP but did not get feedback. The organisation has also
contacted the company to which the state has outsourced part of the
process, Visa & Permit Facilitation Centre (VFS), but did not get any
assistance.


The delays seem to occur because of the complicated three-way
communication needed between applicants, VFS and Home Affairs.
For example, GroundUp found out from Home Affairs official Gerson Muti
that Sibongile`s permit had been printed on 26 August 2015, yet
Sibongile says VFS told her that her permit had been rejected.


Muti also told GroundUp that 4,126 were ready but had not been
collected by applicants. Some had already been returned by VFS to Home
Affairs when applicants went to collect their permits from VFS.


When GroundUp asked VFS for comment, its media spokesperson said, "I
am sure we can solve the issue before it gets to the press." When we
explained that the issue is already in the media, he promised to send
his email address to this reporter`s mobile phone. It had not arrived
as of Friday afternoon.