News / Africa
Bogus article on 'New Permits For ZSP Holders'
25 Mar 2017 at 19:38hrs | Views
There is a report titled New Permits For ZSP Holders from a website called Newsfromafrica.net, alleging that South Africa's Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba has said the almost 200 000 Zimbabweans currently on permits issued under the Zimbabwe Special Permits (ZSP) project, can now apply for the Zimbabwe Permanent Residence Permit (ZimPRP) under section 27 of the Refugee and Immigration Act of 2002.
Bulawayo24.com has not verified the authenticity of the article but there are some glaring issues that makes the article suspicious.
Why would the Home Affairs department use a gmail account for communication? Home Affairs has its .gov.za domain. The other issue is that people are instructed to deposit money in a Capitec and Standard Bank account for a company called, THE VISA PROCESSING AGENCY SA (PTY) LTD.
People should be worry of this article. Bulawayo24.com will liase with all people who might be in the know about ZSP Permits and write an informed article on the subject.
We urge people to check with Home Affairs before depositing their money into any unofficial bank accounts for the Home Affairs department.
ZSP holders need to know that the South African Department of Home Affairs said it will push ahead with plans to establish border processing centres for refugees‚ as part of sweeping legislative changes to SA's immigration regime that will also redefine processes leading to citizenship.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Friday that SA must begin strategically managing migration rather than focusing on compliance‚ Gigaba said.
He was speaking at a conference on international migration‚ which including discussions on SA's new White Paper on International Migration. The draft paper‚ expected to be given to Cabinet by the end of March‚ includes amendments to at least five Acts‚ including the Immigration Act and Marriage Act.
The department is also pushing to establish new structures‚ such as a Border Management Authority that could manage all aspects of cross border movement of people and goods.
Home Affairs expects the new White Paper to lead to legislative changes by 2018‚ replacing the current 1999 policy document now seen as "outdated".
The department sees the policy framework as a shift towards a more "Afro-centric" immigration regime‚ leveraging the development potential of migration‚ particularly at a regional level.
The draft White Paper seeks to increase "rules" on economic migrants‚ and the removal of an automatic progression from residency to citizenship.
The Green Paper on International Migration‚ published in June 2016‚ proposed sweeping changes to SA's approach to economic migrants‚ refugees and naturalisation.
These included "processing camps" that would house refugees pending adjudication of their cases. It would remove the automatic right to work or study pending the finalisation of an application that would take place in 120 days. This proposal remains‚ with a naturalisation strategy‚ to be developed.
The draft White Paper also proposed the mandatory registration of South African expatriates.
It wants the introduction of a points-based system to determine eligibility criteria for long-term visas‚ which puts an end to a process of automatic citizenship for long-term residents.
This would be replaced by a proposed "Citizenship Advisory Panel" to consider applications.
Some 16 million foreigners enter and exit SA every year‚ with 1 082 669 asylum seekers being registered between 2006 and 2015. SA has also deported 369 000 people from 2012 to 2017‚ with Home Affairs estimating that 95% of asylum applications are from economic migrants as opposed to political refugees.
The department is expected to argue before Cabinet and Parliament that the cost of no investment in managing migration exceeds that of building capacity‚ but it has not quantified the cost to the fiscus of its various proposals.
"... It is not possible to prepare a complete fiscal and financial assessment of the White Paper's implications which should be more properly assessed during the legislative process‚" an abridged version of the draft White Paper reads.
Below is the full article we have problems with:
New Permits For ZSP Holders
Staff reporter
The almost 200 000 Zimbabweans currently on permits issued under the Zimbabwe Special Permits (ZSP) project, can now apply for the Zimbabwe Permanent Residence Permit (ZimPRP) under section 27 of the Refugee and Immigration Act of 2002, Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba has said.
This contradicts comments made by the minister in 2016 when he said that Zimbabweans on ZSP permits will have to find alternative ways to regularise their stay in South Africa beyond 2017 as ZSP permits were not eligible for extension, and would not be considered for permanent residence.
On the change of policy, the minister said that this came after consideration of the plight of Zimbabweans, who have formed roots in South Africa, echoing sentiments raised by rights and humanitarian groups, who have been lobying the South African government to give Zimbabweans a permanent solution to their predicament.
"What we have looked at is that some of these people have borne children here in South Africa, some have built homes and established permanent bonds," Minister Gigaba was quoted saying.
South Africa is home to more than 3 million Zimbabweans, the largest diaspora community anywhere in Africa. Most of these are economic immigrants living illegally, who fled Zimbabwe after the collapse of Zimbabwe's economy in the early 2000nds. The Zimbabwe diaspora has a 95% literacy rate in english and a very highly educated udult population. In 2010, the South African government issued what was called Zimbabwe Dispensation Project (DZP), a precursor to the ZSP, with the aim of documenting Zimbabweans who were living illegally, and pardoning those who had obtained South African IDs fraudulently.
The minister, however, added that selection will be very strict this time, and anyone found to have commited a crime during their stay in South Africa will be disqualified and deported.
"We do not want criminals," said Minister Gigaba. 'We want honest and hardworking people who will contribute to our country's economy and make South Africa a safe, diverse, and prosperous country. Those who have been found involved in illicit businesses will be disqualified and deported back to their country."
HOW TO APPLY
This time the Department of Home Affairs has bypassed VFS global after its recent security breach. Eligible ZSP holders must write and email a letter of no more than 500 words to the Department of Home Affairs, explaining in what ways they believe their presence in South Africa will benefit the country, and what their short, medium, and long term life goals are. The letter must include an applicant's name and surname, contact information, residential address, and passport number. It must be written in plain english and start this way:
I, Mathew Daniel Ndlovu, of 772 Pimville Soweto, passport number dk234190, and phone number 073 444 4444, believe that my presence in South Africa will do this and that for the country. My short term life goals are this and that, my mideum term goals are this and that, and my long term life goals are this and that.
Applicants must then pay a R370 Visa Processing fee at their nearest Capitec bank branch (bank details below); a R220 biometrics fee at their nearest standard bank (details below), and use their names and surnames as references in both payments. Both the letter and scanned bank payment receits must be emailed to: dha.zimprp@gmail.com
The scanned receits must be sent as attachments, while the letter should be written in the body of the email.
Note: Applicants must go to their nearest internet cafe for help with scanning and emailing.
Visa Processing Agency Capitec Bank Account Details
Account Name: - THE VISA PROCESSING AGENCY SA (PTY) LTD
Bank Name: - The Capitec Bank of South Africa Limited
Branch: - Rosebank
Branch code: - 4710010
Account number: - 13 920 232 52
Reference: - Use your name and surname as reference.
Visa Processing Agency Standard Bank Account Details
Account Name: - THE VISA PROCESSING AGENCY SA (PTY) LTD
Bank Name: - The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited
Branch: - Rosebank
Branch code: - 00430517
Account number: - 02 762 737 3
Reference: - Use your name and surname as reference.
Starting on the 8th of April, the Visa Processing Agency will be calling individual applicants on the contact details provided on their application letters to set up appointment. During appointment, applicants must bring the following documents:
- Original passport and ZSP documents, as well as certified copies of each document.
- For Workers, A Letter of Employment from employer on their Company Letterhead, certified true by a commissioner of oath at a police station.
- For students, Institution of Learning Admission Letter on their letterhead and stamp.
- For Business Owners, Business Registration Document.
The application deadline is 7th April 2017. Please note that all applications and payments made at a date later than the above will be rejected automatically.
For more information, email: dha.visaqueries@gmail.com
Bulawayo24.com has not verified the authenticity of the article but there are some glaring issues that makes the article suspicious.
Why would the Home Affairs department use a gmail account for communication? Home Affairs has its .gov.za domain. The other issue is that people are instructed to deposit money in a Capitec and Standard Bank account for a company called, THE VISA PROCESSING AGENCY SA (PTY) LTD.
People should be worry of this article. Bulawayo24.com will liase with all people who might be in the know about ZSP Permits and write an informed article on the subject.
We urge people to check with Home Affairs before depositing their money into any unofficial bank accounts for the Home Affairs department.
ZSP holders need to know that the South African Department of Home Affairs said it will push ahead with plans to establish border processing centres for refugees‚ as part of sweeping legislative changes to SA's immigration regime that will also redefine processes leading to citizenship.
Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Friday that SA must begin strategically managing migration rather than focusing on compliance‚ Gigaba said.
He was speaking at a conference on international migration‚ which including discussions on SA's new White Paper on International Migration. The draft paper‚ expected to be given to Cabinet by the end of March‚ includes amendments to at least five Acts‚ including the Immigration Act and Marriage Act.
The department is also pushing to establish new structures‚ such as a Border Management Authority that could manage all aspects of cross border movement of people and goods.
Home Affairs expects the new White Paper to lead to legislative changes by 2018‚ replacing the current 1999 policy document now seen as "outdated".
The department sees the policy framework as a shift towards a more "Afro-centric" immigration regime‚ leveraging the development potential of migration‚ particularly at a regional level.
The draft White Paper seeks to increase "rules" on economic migrants‚ and the removal of an automatic progression from residency to citizenship.
The Green Paper on International Migration‚ published in June 2016‚ proposed sweeping changes to SA's approach to economic migrants‚ refugees and naturalisation.
These included "processing camps" that would house refugees pending adjudication of their cases. It would remove the automatic right to work or study pending the finalisation of an application that would take place in 120 days. This proposal remains‚ with a naturalisation strategy‚ to be developed.
The draft White Paper also proposed the mandatory registration of South African expatriates.
It wants the introduction of a points-based system to determine eligibility criteria for long-term visas‚ which puts an end to a process of automatic citizenship for long-term residents.
This would be replaced by a proposed "Citizenship Advisory Panel" to consider applications.
Some 16 million foreigners enter and exit SA every year‚ with 1 082 669 asylum seekers being registered between 2006 and 2015. SA has also deported 369 000 people from 2012 to 2017‚ with Home Affairs estimating that 95% of asylum applications are from economic migrants as opposed to political refugees.
The department is expected to argue before Cabinet and Parliament that the cost of no investment in managing migration exceeds that of building capacity‚ but it has not quantified the cost to the fiscus of its various proposals.
"... It is not possible to prepare a complete fiscal and financial assessment of the White Paper's implications which should be more properly assessed during the legislative process‚" an abridged version of the draft White Paper reads.
Below is the full article we have problems with:
New Permits For ZSP Holders
Staff reporter
The almost 200 000 Zimbabweans currently on permits issued under the Zimbabwe Special Permits (ZSP) project, can now apply for the Zimbabwe Permanent Residence Permit (ZimPRP) under section 27 of the Refugee and Immigration Act of 2002, Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba has said.
This contradicts comments made by the minister in 2016 when he said that Zimbabweans on ZSP permits will have to find alternative ways to regularise their stay in South Africa beyond 2017 as ZSP permits were not eligible for extension, and would not be considered for permanent residence.
On the change of policy, the minister said that this came after consideration of the plight of Zimbabweans, who have formed roots in South Africa, echoing sentiments raised by rights and humanitarian groups, who have been lobying the South African government to give Zimbabweans a permanent solution to their predicament.
"What we have looked at is that some of these people have borne children here in South Africa, some have built homes and established permanent bonds," Minister Gigaba was quoted saying.
South Africa is home to more than 3 million Zimbabweans, the largest diaspora community anywhere in Africa. Most of these are economic immigrants living illegally, who fled Zimbabwe after the collapse of Zimbabwe's economy in the early 2000nds. The Zimbabwe diaspora has a 95% literacy rate in english and a very highly educated udult population. In 2010, the South African government issued what was called Zimbabwe Dispensation Project (DZP), a precursor to the ZSP, with the aim of documenting Zimbabweans who were living illegally, and pardoning those who had obtained South African IDs fraudulently.
The minister, however, added that selection will be very strict this time, and anyone found to have commited a crime during their stay in South Africa will be disqualified and deported.
"We do not want criminals," said Minister Gigaba. 'We want honest and hardworking people who will contribute to our country's economy and make South Africa a safe, diverse, and prosperous country. Those who have been found involved in illicit businesses will be disqualified and deported back to their country."
HOW TO APPLY
This time the Department of Home Affairs has bypassed VFS global after its recent security breach. Eligible ZSP holders must write and email a letter of no more than 500 words to the Department of Home Affairs, explaining in what ways they believe their presence in South Africa will benefit the country, and what their short, medium, and long term life goals are. The letter must include an applicant's name and surname, contact information, residential address, and passport number. It must be written in plain english and start this way:
I, Mathew Daniel Ndlovu, of 772 Pimville Soweto, passport number dk234190, and phone number 073 444 4444, believe that my presence in South Africa will do this and that for the country. My short term life goals are this and that, my mideum term goals are this and that, and my long term life goals are this and that.
Applicants must then pay a R370 Visa Processing fee at their nearest Capitec bank branch (bank details below); a R220 biometrics fee at their nearest standard bank (details below), and use their names and surnames as references in both payments. Both the letter and scanned bank payment receits must be emailed to: dha.zimprp@gmail.com
The scanned receits must be sent as attachments, while the letter should be written in the body of the email.
Note: Applicants must go to their nearest internet cafe for help with scanning and emailing.
Visa Processing Agency Capitec Bank Account Details
Account Name: - THE VISA PROCESSING AGENCY SA (PTY) LTD
Bank Name: - The Capitec Bank of South Africa Limited
Branch: - Rosebank
Branch code: - 4710010
Account number: - 13 920 232 52
Reference: - Use your name and surname as reference.
Visa Processing Agency Standard Bank Account Details
Account Name: - THE VISA PROCESSING AGENCY SA (PTY) LTD
Bank Name: - The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited
Branch: - Rosebank
Branch code: - 00430517
Account number: - 02 762 737 3
Reference: - Use your name and surname as reference.
Starting on the 8th of April, the Visa Processing Agency will be calling individual applicants on the contact details provided on their application letters to set up appointment. During appointment, applicants must bring the following documents:
- Original passport and ZSP documents, as well as certified copies of each document.
- For Workers, A Letter of Employment from employer on their Company Letterhead, certified true by a commissioner of oath at a police station.
- For students, Institution of Learning Admission Letter on their letterhead and stamp.
- For Business Owners, Business Registration Document.
The application deadline is 7th April 2017. Please note that all applications and payments made at a date later than the above will be rejected automatically.
For more information, email: dha.visaqueries@gmail.com
Source - Byo24News
