Published: 5 hours ago

As the November 2025 expiry date for the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) approaches, thousands of Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa are once again facing an uncertain future, with government yet to provide clear guidance on the way forward.

Civil society organisations, including the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA), have raised alarm, urging Home Affairs to urgently clarify its position to prevent further hardship for affected permit holders.

"With the ZEP set to expire in November 2025, thousands of permit holders remain unclear as to how the court-ordered consultation process will proceed, or whether the government intends to extend the permit," the organisations said in a joint statement last week.

The concerns echo the panic of November 2024, when the ZEP was initially due to lapse. At that time, desperate permit holders queued in long lines and battled a congested booking system to regularise their stay, amid fears of deportation, loss of jobs, or exclusion from essential services such as healthcare and education.

A last-minute reprieve came on 29 November 2024, when Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced a one-year extension to 28 November 2025. In a government gazette, Schreiber explained that the move was necessary to comply with a Gauteng High Court ruling requiring meaningful consultation with permit holders and other stakeholders on the future of the exemption regime.

During the extension period, ZEP holders were granted protection from arrest or deportation for not having valid certificates and permitted to travel in and out of South Africa under normal immigration conditions. The Immigration Advisory Board was also reactivated to advise on the consultation process.

However, almost a year later, advocacy groups argue that little progress has been communicated, leaving permit holders in limbo.

"Last year's eleventh-hour extension left permit holders in a precarious position. This year, the absence of timely clarity has already led to devastating consequences, with many ZEP holders losing jobs, struggling to register their children in schools for 2026, and encountering barriers to essential healthcare," the organisations warned.

HSF and CoRMSA have called on Minister Schreiber to urgently outline the status of consultations and, if necessary, announce another extension well before the November deadline.

"Such action is necessary to prevent further hardship and to uphold fairness and the rule of law," they said.
- nehanda

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