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Undocumented Zimbabweans in SA should have passports by July
22 Feb 2011 at 10:33hrs | Views
Undocumented Zimbabweans who applied to legalise their stay before the end of last year should have passports by the end of July, Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Tuesday.
The department had initially hoped they would have their passports by the end of June, Dlamini-Zuma said after meeting her Zimbabwean counterparts, Home Affairs co-ministers Kembo Mohadi and Therese Makone on Tuesday.
However, this deadline had been extended to the end of July as the Zimbabwean government did not have the capacity to produce more than 500 passports a day, she said.
Makone said Zimbabwean officials would work on weekends to issue 3000 passports a week for the estimated 60,000 undocumented Zimbabweans.
Dlamini-Zuma said that of the 275,000 Zimbabweans who applied to legalise their stay in the country at the end of last year, 17,000 did not have documentation.
She said that since there were no longer any visa requirements between Zimbabwe and South Africa, there was no reason to enter the country without papers.
"If they come across the (border) fence, they must be arrested and dealt with," she said.
Source - Byo24News
