South African based Zimbabweans fret as permits enter last year

THOUSANDS of Zimbabweans resident in South Africa on the strength of the Zimbabwe Special Permits (ZSP) introduced in 2012, can be rest assured of their continued stay in that country, as arrangements are being made to guarantee their security, Southern Eye has learnt.

Zimbabwe Community in South Africa (ZCSA) chairperson, Ngqabutho Mabhena, yesterday circulated a notice assuring members of his association not to panic.

"The South African Department of Home Affairs says we should not be worried about what will happen beyond December 31, 2017," he said.

"Last night [Sunday night], we had a discussion on the sidelines of the Migrants Mkhaya Awards and we were assured by officials to remain calm and not to panic. The department is planning a new arrangement that will see holders of the ZSP remaining legal in South Africa beyond 2017."

In 2012, South Africa's Home Affairs Department, then under Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, issued Zimbabweans with special permits to "regularise" their stay in that country.

All Zimbabweans with a crime-free record were eligible to apply for the special permits. The permits were renewed last year and are set to expire in December 2017.

Mabhena said plans by the department to come up with a new arrangement beyond 2017 are to ensure that South Africa does not expel the over 198 000 holders of the ZSP.

"You will know that the Green Paper on International Migration is proposing a Sadc Work Visa, but in the new arrangement, the department has said they are not looking at the proposed Sadc Work Visa as an alternative," he said. "The reason is that, the Sadc Work Visa, if approved, will only come into effect sometime in 2018 when the ZSP arrengement would have expired.

The department is to make an announcement early next year on what will happen to ZSP holders. What is becoming clear though is that, the government will not ask the over 198 000 ZSP to go back to Zimbabwe."