SA to host meeting on immigrants permits next week

The South African Ministry of Home Affairs will next week on 17 and 18 March hold an international migration meeting to seek ways of aligning foreign migration permits.

In an interview, Zimbabwe's Consul General in South Africa, Mr Henry Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro said the alignment process will be done through a white paper that will be the outcome of the international migration meeting to be held in Sandton, Pretoria.

Mr Mukonoweshuro said the alignment should allow those living in South Africa under special permits to obtain regular permits.

He added that those on special permits who wish to migrate to other permits like the special skills permit can do so through the offices in Bulawayo and Harare and that they do not need to leave their passports there.

"They can just apply using certified copies of their documents and return to their working stations back in South Africa without leaving their passports," Mr Mukonoweshuro said.

Turning to the xenophobic attacks that rocked the Southern African country in the past few weeks, Mr Mukonoweshuro said the situation has calmed down a bit following the intervention by President Jacob Zuma and his government.

President Zuma assured foreigners that people won't be allowed to take things in their own hands to perpetrate xenophobia.