Opinion / Columnist
ZSP Permits updates and suggestions
13 Oct 2014 at 08:55hrs | Views
Greetings Editor,
Please kindly consider the following article as worth the standard of news and well suited for publication purposes in your widely read news network. We have made similar requests previously and we are grateful for the favourable response we got from some of the news networks such a your own. The current article reads as follows:
ZSP PERMITS: The need of fluent multi-lingual Zimbabweans as call centre agents!
Now that the Zimbabwean Special Permit (ZSP) renewal dispensation has officially been running for about two weeks, most affected Zimbabweans have at least some story to tell by now about the process. The experience from those who have completed the first phase or made an attempt at the process have no such a good story to tell from updates in the quick surveys. The primary concerns are on the frustrating website downtimes and call centre traffic congestion. The very fact that the first stage is an internet-based online process brings along serious specific technicalities in itself to the applicants who are not technology savvy and computer literate for this Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach to the permit renewals.
Our major concern, however, is on the failure to also temporarily engage or contract multi-lingual Zimbabweans to handle specific queries and the dissemination of other critical information related to this process especially in the call centre section of the Department of Home Affairs (SA) through its outsourcing company VFS Global. As a matter of fact, most Zimbabweans are earning a living from call centre types of jobs and their work permits are still valid for the duration of this same process. It is a public secret that this "final dispensation" process is absolutely meant to benefit only Zimbabweans. They cannot expect to receive a call from a Chinese or Nigerian national making enquiries on this type of permit, except in less than one-percent (1%) isolated cases where other such foreign nationals are in possessions of "fake" Zimbabwean documents and also benefited from the process in 2010.
It can be statistically supported that not less than 70% of the holders of these permit-types are not the really well-educated Zimbabweans who can be expected to be so fluent in English to get all the necessary information or clarity they may require over a phone call or through a newspaper. It is a quick fact that some completed only Grade 7, whilst others failed the very same English at O' Level before leaving for South Africa. In any case, proficiency by an African in writing and speaking English doesn't make it their language of preference even where it's not necessary! A large number of professionals who are Zimbabweans such as teachers, nurses, doctors and technicians to name a few were already holders of "regular" permits and did not really ‘qualify' for the dispensation at the time.
Most Zimbabweans missed out on the amnesty in 2010 because of similar lack of proper or efficient communication methods. It was clear most people honestly did not understand what exactly was going on at the time or was being asked of Zimbabweans. As a result, the worst case scenario would be to make available all South African languages which have been programmed even to the voicemails as most of the Zimbabweans have assimilated themselves well enough to fluently speak and clearly understand some South African languages. Besides, most South African languages are spoken or close enough with most of the 16 official Zimbabwean languages especially if we consider languages such as Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Venda, Sotho, Tswana and Tsonga.
Although some may want to debate whether the majority of Zimbabweans in South Africa are either Ndebele or Shona speaking people, the truth of the matter is that there is also a sizable number of Zimbabweans who don't understand a single word of the former "two of the three" official languages. They even dismally failed any of those two dominant "mother" languages at school. The truth is we also have in South Africa those Zimbabweans who are purely Kalanga, Xhosa, Tonga, Venda, Sotho, Nambya and so forth who don't understand a thing in Ndebele or Shona. Hence, fluent multi-lingual Zimbabweans are needed for communication purposes to be intrinsically part of this process to assist in the smooth running of this dispensation. We have such people who can fluently speak five or more of the 16 official Zimbabwean languages, and we know them! It is still not late to do so either, as South Africa has another recipe for disaster in its horizons.
There are a number of Zimbabweans who perfectly qualify to have their permits renewed, or stand a great chance of getting a new permit if it was declined in 2010 but are at risk of deportations because of missing critical procedures since this time around there's "no appeal". There is absolutely no margin for error! So, their permits are not going to be renewed or are faced with embarrassment simply because they would have skipped certain procedures, misunderstood specific information, arranged wrong documents and such other "misappropriate" actions due to a lack of clear communication lines with no one to assist timeously. The non-refundable R870 will simply be a donation. Mind you, this is in a foreign land where most people have no time for anyone else including their own siblings, it's a survival of the fittest or a jungle as they say. The dominant mentality is such that l will help you now with your business, work and study permit but you get ahead of "me" in a few months' time!
However, the blame as usual must be sufficiently apportioned to the Zimbabwean representatives especially Mr Kembo Mohadi of Home Affairs (Zimbabwe) who led the negotiation process for their obvious lack of sympathy and putting other selfish interests upfront. They misrepresented facts as always and clearly negotiated in bad faith on behalf of Zimbabweans. Making a request or even a demand that some multi-lingual Zimbabweans be at least call centre agents was not too much to ask or too difficult to negotiate. It isn't wayward to believe that Minister Malusi Gigaba (Home Affairs, SA) has sufficient powers to enforce such a bargain if there was anything to that effect. Zimbabwean nationals are now paying for this process and it is no longer free as in 2010, so they deserve a good quality service that will benefit them with optimal satisfaction. Actually, the real cost of the whole process ranges from R1,000 to R1,500 inclusive of the mandatory R870!
The extra costs are from the internet for online processes, transport to interviews, and call charges to book an appointment or make enquiries, as well as fees paid to certain agents who are handling the process on behalf of applicants. Hence, a remedial action in this regard is needed as a matter of urgency and if the main worry is who will pay such call centre agents, we will take it upon our shoulders to seek volunteers or mobilise resources from Zimbabweans themselves and international organisations to pay for such multi-lingual service providers.
Had there been a caring people's government in Zimbabwe it would even subsidise this dispensation process, if not also pay the proposed multi-lingual call agents for a mere 245 000 of its undoubtedly patriotic nationals who are not ashamed to be publicly associated with the collapsed country even in their well-established economies of current temporary residence such as South Africa. There is no doubt the benefits are largely trickling to the country of Zimbabwe more than to the individual concerned citizens themselves in the diaspora.
Moreso, some Zimbabweans are now at risk of being duped monies by some "agents" or experiencing identity theft from criminal elements who are offering to help in this equally time-consuming and complicated process whether in public internet-cafes or otherwise. Therefore, Zimbabweans are reminded and warned to be on high alert, but rather entrust such a process to known and credible SA-Zimbabwean Communities' representatives if they need any assistance. It will be wise to seek assistance even from genuine public benefit organisations with representatives in SA such as the Zimbabwe's Independent Democrats (ZIM-ID) through its ZIM-ID (SA) Team Diaspora, or any other such related civic organisations!
Tinotenda, Siyabonga, Taboka, Rolivhuwa, Twalumba, Thank you!!!!!
----------------------
This article is released by Fbr. MTHOKOZISI NDIWENI in full sympathy with all the destitute people of Zimbabwe struggling for survival in South Africa especially the young people. He is the Firebrand-in-Chief of ZIM-ID Firebrand Youth with sufficient oversight role to the administrative portfolio of Diplomacy and Global Relations, and can be contacted on zim.id263@gmail.com or ndixam@gmail.com .
Please kindly consider the following article as worth the standard of news and well suited for publication purposes in your widely read news network. We have made similar requests previously and we are grateful for the favourable response we got from some of the news networks such a your own. The current article reads as follows:
ZSP PERMITS: The need of fluent multi-lingual Zimbabweans as call centre agents!
Now that the Zimbabwean Special Permit (ZSP) renewal dispensation has officially been running for about two weeks, most affected Zimbabweans have at least some story to tell by now about the process. The experience from those who have completed the first phase or made an attempt at the process have no such a good story to tell from updates in the quick surveys. The primary concerns are on the frustrating website downtimes and call centre traffic congestion. The very fact that the first stage is an internet-based online process brings along serious specific technicalities in itself to the applicants who are not technology savvy and computer literate for this Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach to the permit renewals.
Our major concern, however, is on the failure to also temporarily engage or contract multi-lingual Zimbabweans to handle specific queries and the dissemination of other critical information related to this process especially in the call centre section of the Department of Home Affairs (SA) through its outsourcing company VFS Global. As a matter of fact, most Zimbabweans are earning a living from call centre types of jobs and their work permits are still valid for the duration of this same process. It is a public secret that this "final dispensation" process is absolutely meant to benefit only Zimbabweans. They cannot expect to receive a call from a Chinese or Nigerian national making enquiries on this type of permit, except in less than one-percent (1%) isolated cases where other such foreign nationals are in possessions of "fake" Zimbabwean documents and also benefited from the process in 2010.
It can be statistically supported that not less than 70% of the holders of these permit-types are not the really well-educated Zimbabweans who can be expected to be so fluent in English to get all the necessary information or clarity they may require over a phone call or through a newspaper. It is a quick fact that some completed only Grade 7, whilst others failed the very same English at O' Level before leaving for South Africa. In any case, proficiency by an African in writing and speaking English doesn't make it their language of preference even where it's not necessary! A large number of professionals who are Zimbabweans such as teachers, nurses, doctors and technicians to name a few were already holders of "regular" permits and did not really ‘qualify' for the dispensation at the time.
Most Zimbabweans missed out on the amnesty in 2010 because of similar lack of proper or efficient communication methods. It was clear most people honestly did not understand what exactly was going on at the time or was being asked of Zimbabweans. As a result, the worst case scenario would be to make available all South African languages which have been programmed even to the voicemails as most of the Zimbabweans have assimilated themselves well enough to fluently speak and clearly understand some South African languages. Besides, most South African languages are spoken or close enough with most of the 16 official Zimbabwean languages especially if we consider languages such as Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, Venda, Sotho, Tswana and Tsonga.
Although some may want to debate whether the majority of Zimbabweans in South Africa are either Ndebele or Shona speaking people, the truth of the matter is that there is also a sizable number of Zimbabweans who don't understand a single word of the former "two of the three" official languages. They even dismally failed any of those two dominant "mother" languages at school. The truth is we also have in South Africa those Zimbabweans who are purely Kalanga, Xhosa, Tonga, Venda, Sotho, Nambya and so forth who don't understand a thing in Ndebele or Shona. Hence, fluent multi-lingual Zimbabweans are needed for communication purposes to be intrinsically part of this process to assist in the smooth running of this dispensation. We have such people who can fluently speak five or more of the 16 official Zimbabwean languages, and we know them! It is still not late to do so either, as South Africa has another recipe for disaster in its horizons.
There are a number of Zimbabweans who perfectly qualify to have their permits renewed, or stand a great chance of getting a new permit if it was declined in 2010 but are at risk of deportations because of missing critical procedures since this time around there's "no appeal". There is absolutely no margin for error! So, their permits are not going to be renewed or are faced with embarrassment simply because they would have skipped certain procedures, misunderstood specific information, arranged wrong documents and such other "misappropriate" actions due to a lack of clear communication lines with no one to assist timeously. The non-refundable R870 will simply be a donation. Mind you, this is in a foreign land where most people have no time for anyone else including their own siblings, it's a survival of the fittest or a jungle as they say. The dominant mentality is such that l will help you now with your business, work and study permit but you get ahead of "me" in a few months' time!
However, the blame as usual must be sufficiently apportioned to the Zimbabwean representatives especially Mr Kembo Mohadi of Home Affairs (Zimbabwe) who led the negotiation process for their obvious lack of sympathy and putting other selfish interests upfront. They misrepresented facts as always and clearly negotiated in bad faith on behalf of Zimbabweans. Making a request or even a demand that some multi-lingual Zimbabweans be at least call centre agents was not too much to ask or too difficult to negotiate. It isn't wayward to believe that Minister Malusi Gigaba (Home Affairs, SA) has sufficient powers to enforce such a bargain if there was anything to that effect. Zimbabwean nationals are now paying for this process and it is no longer free as in 2010, so they deserve a good quality service that will benefit them with optimal satisfaction. Actually, the real cost of the whole process ranges from R1,000 to R1,500 inclusive of the mandatory R870!
The extra costs are from the internet for online processes, transport to interviews, and call charges to book an appointment or make enquiries, as well as fees paid to certain agents who are handling the process on behalf of applicants. Hence, a remedial action in this regard is needed as a matter of urgency and if the main worry is who will pay such call centre agents, we will take it upon our shoulders to seek volunteers or mobilise resources from Zimbabweans themselves and international organisations to pay for such multi-lingual service providers.
Had there been a caring people's government in Zimbabwe it would even subsidise this dispensation process, if not also pay the proposed multi-lingual call agents for a mere 245 000 of its undoubtedly patriotic nationals who are not ashamed to be publicly associated with the collapsed country even in their well-established economies of current temporary residence such as South Africa. There is no doubt the benefits are largely trickling to the country of Zimbabwe more than to the individual concerned citizens themselves in the diaspora.
Moreso, some Zimbabweans are now at risk of being duped monies by some "agents" or experiencing identity theft from criminal elements who are offering to help in this equally time-consuming and complicated process whether in public internet-cafes or otherwise. Therefore, Zimbabweans are reminded and warned to be on high alert, but rather entrust such a process to known and credible SA-Zimbabwean Communities' representatives if they need any assistance. It will be wise to seek assistance even from genuine public benefit organisations with representatives in SA such as the Zimbabwe's Independent Democrats (ZIM-ID) through its ZIM-ID (SA) Team Diaspora, or any other such related civic organisations!
Tinotenda, Siyabonga, Taboka, Rolivhuwa, Twalumba, Thank you!!!!!
----------------------
This article is released by Fbr. MTHOKOZISI NDIWENI in full sympathy with all the destitute people of Zimbabwe struggling for survival in South Africa especially the young people. He is the Firebrand-in-Chief of ZIM-ID Firebrand Youth with sufficient oversight role to the administrative portfolio of Diplomacy and Global Relations, and can be contacted on zim.id263@gmail.com or ndixam@gmail.com .
Source - Mthokozisi Ndiweni
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