Home Affairs bungle separates man from pregnant wife

Source: Groundup, 26/04/2018

Farai (not his real name) is a 38-year-old Zimbabwean engineer who
has been living in South Africa since 2009. But after visiting
Zimbabwe during the holiday season, he was denied entry back into
South Africa on 5 January. His passport was also stamped with a code
preventing him from coming back to the republic. This was despite his
papers being in order.
He is now stuck in Zimbabwe, on the verge of losing his job, and has
been separated from his children and pregnant wife since December.
Farai applied for a Dispensation of a Zimbabweans Project permit
(DZP) in 2009. This then became the Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP).
Last year it was changed to the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP). All
Zimbabweans in South Africa who were on this permit had to re-apply
for a ZEP, because the ZSP expired in December.
But the process for getting the ZEP has been slow and often delayed.
Farai is still waiting for his to be processed. Home Affairs has
therefore declared that ZEP applicants are allowed to travel as long
as they produce proof of their application. This Farai did.
“ZSP holders who want to travel outside South Africa for the festive
season, will be able to do so. They only need to produce their
passports with the ZSP stickers and their ZEP application receipts,”
said a Home Affairs statement dated 10 November 2017.
An immigration official at Beitbridge stamped “V-LIST CODE K” on
Farai’s passport when he tried to enter South Africa. According to
Gabriel Shumba, lawyer and chairperson of the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum,
the V-listing means a person has overstayed his or her visit in South
Africa and may be banned from entering the country for up to five
years.
Farai is now stuck in Zimbabwe. “I have no criminal record and I am
being prejudiced by an error made by an immigration official. I am on
the verge of losing my job. My employers are now threatening to fill
my position,” said Farai.
“My life is now established in South Africa after I relocated eight
years ago. I am suffering from emotional stress as a result of
separation from my heavily pregnant wife and two young children. My
wife is frequently in and out of hospital due to stress.”
GroundUp has previously reported a case similar to Farai’s.
Farai is originally from Murehwa in Mashonaland East province, about
90km from Harare. In trying to sort out his situation he has to spend
money on accommodation in Harare where he visits the South African
embassy â€` money he doesn’t have because he has not been paid since
December.
The embassy told him he has to write an appeal. He did but there was
no response. He went back to the embassy where he was told it takes
three months to respond to an appeal. He also wrote to the Director
General and the Minister of Home Affairs. He also hired a legal firm,
which wrote to Home Affairs.
A similar incident happened to Farai in December 2014. Then he had
travelled from South Africa to Zimbabwe through Oliver Tambo
International Airport, also while waiting for his permit to be
renewed. An official denied him entry to South Africa despite a
similar communique by Home Affairs stating that Zimbabwean permit
holders still waiting for their permits to be renewed should be
allowed entry.
On 19 March GroundUp contacted Home Affairs spokespersons Thabo
Mokgola and Mayihlome Tshwete by email. Copies of Farai’s documents
and the appeal he wrote to Home Affairs in January were attached.
GroundUp phoned two days later and Mokgola said he needed Farai’s
documents, which we explained had already been sent to him.
On 29 March we wrote to Home Affairs again, but received no response.
In April we phoned Tshwete who promised to respond. He hasn’t.
As of 25 April there was still no change in Farai’s circumstances and
Home Affairs has still not contacted him or his lawyer