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South Africa Banks Threatening to Close Bank Accounts of 178,000 Zimbabweans Exemption Permit Holders Expiring Soon

Source: Voazimbabwe, 06/12/2021

Some South African banks are threatening to freeze accounts of Special
Zimbabweans Exemption Permit holders if they donâ€™t provide new documents
in January 2022.
One of the permit holders, who requested anonymity, said he received a
notice from Capitec Bank informing him that his work permit is expected
to expire and therefore he has to renew it in order to have an active
bank account.
The letter reads in part, â€œâ€¦ Your work permit expires in January. Visit
your nearest branch with your new permit to keep your account active â€¦â€
In a message posted on YouTube, Ngqabutho Mabhena, chairperson of the
Zimbabwe Community in South Africa, said his organization is engaging
banks to ensure that ZEP holdersâ€™ accounts are not closed since all the
permits expire at the end of this month.
â€œWhat we have already said is that we need to get clarity on whether the
banks will not close down peopleâ€™s accounts as a result of this 12-month
grace period. Any government department will not refuse people entry or
refuse to provide services to ZEP holders â€¦â€
The South African government decided last Friday to discontinue the ZEP
program and give permit holders until December 31, 2022, to regularize
their immigration status.
www.samigration.com

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