The Home Affairs Department says it hopes thousands of Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders will take advantage of the six-month extension for them to make representations as to why the department should not terminate their stay in South Africa.
Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says that only 9 000 out of the 178 000 permit holders have made representations.
Home Affairs extends Zimbabwean Exemption Permit by six months
He says this low number of applications has prompted the department to give the ZEP holders a further six-month extension to regularise their stay in the country.
Home Affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza says, “The permit itself has indeed expired. We are now in the grace period that the Minister has introduced to try to help people to apply or migrate to regular permits. We have made every effort to reach out to them. There were letters that were written to each and every one of them individually because we do have a record of all the 178 000 people who are on this permit.”
Home Affairs extends the validity of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit:
