South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, has announced a new technical directive aimed at expediting the work permit application process for Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders. The move comes as a sigh of relief for the estimated 178,000 ZEP holders who face a looming deadline for their permits, set to expire by 2025.
The pressure to streamline the process has been mounting since 2022 when former Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, introduced a waiver allowing ZEP holders to apply for mainstream work visas without the need for certifications from the Department of Labour and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). This initiative was intended to facilitate a smoother transition from the ZEP scheme.
However, Schreiber has identified a crucial oversight that has hampered the process. “This defeated the purpose of the waiver, as it created a bottleneck with home affairs officials unsure of how to process the applications. A legal opinion further confirmed that this oversight needed to be corrected through a technical amendment issued via a circular,” he explained.
The necessary amendment was officially published this Wednesday, marking a significant step towards addressing the backlog and facilitating a smoother transition for ZEP holders seeking to continue working in South Africa.
“Thanks to this correction, we hope to speed up the process of migrating away from the ZEP towards mainstream work visas for applicants who contribute to the economy and qualify in terms of the law,” Schreiber said. “It should be noted that the waiver only enables ZEP holders to submit applications more speedily and does not influence the subsequent outcome of any application. All relevant criteria must still be met for a specific application to be successful.”
The move comes at a time when South Africa’s Home Affairs department is grappling with a significant backlog of visa applications, which stood at 306,000 at the end of May. To address this, the department’s “backlog team” is now working in two daily shifts to mitigate the delays. The government is also currently conducting a door-to-door search for illegal foreigners before arresting and deporting them.
“The department’s backlog team is now working in two daily shifts to mitigate the delays,” Schreiber said.
Schreiber emphasized that the technical amendment is part of a broader effort by the department to eliminate regulatory bottlenecks and clear existing backlogs. “We are committed to ensuring that the process for ZEP holders is as efficient and transparent as possible,” he said.
The announcement has been met with cautious optimism from Zimbabweans in South Africa who are hoping for a smoother transition process. Many have expressed frustration with the delays and complexities of the current system.
“We are relieved that the government is finally taking steps to address the issues we have been facing,” said a ZEP holder who has been working in South Africa for over 10 years. “We hope that this new directive will make it easier for us to secure the necessary documentation to continue living and working here.”
However, some remain concerned about the potential for further delays and bureaucratic hurdles. They point to the long history of challenges faced by Zimbabweans seeking to regularise their status in South Africa.
“We have been through this before,” said another ZEP holder. “We are hopeful, but we are also wary. We need to see concrete action and a real commitment from the government to ensure that this process is fair and efficient for everyone.”
