180 000 Zimbabweans face
deportation as permit deadline looms
Groundup – 12 June 2022
“There is dire poverty in Zimbabwe and the situation is getting worse with each passing day.”
So says
Elasto Maweni from Ikhamvelihle in Gqeberha.
Maweni is one of the nearly 180 000 Zimbabwean nationals who have Zimbabwean
Exemption Permits (ZEP) to live and work in South Africa. Earlier this year,
the Department of Home Affairs said it would not renew these permits.
Like most
ZEP holders, Maweni does not qualify for the critical skills list published in
February. He therefore faces deportation when the permits expire on 31 December
2022.
“The SA government will condemn me to poverty if they refuse to give me
permanent residency status or extend my permit. I humbly appeal to the Minister
of Home Affairs to revisit his decision.
I tried to apply [for a general work permit] and gave up after finding out that it was futile given the stringent conditions.
One of
the requirements is for applicants to advertise in a local and national
newspaper to find if there are South Africans who can do their job, he said.
Maweni has been in South Africa since 2007 and is the sole breadwinner in his
home and cares for his wife, son and grandchild.
He owns a
small taxi which he uses to transport learners to schools in Motherwell. He
also sells decorative ornaments and mops, brooms and lotions to help support
his other children and other relatives who live in Zimbabwe.
Ngqabutho Mabhena, chairman of the Zimbabwean Community in South Africa, said
many ZEP holders were in lower skilled jobs which would make getting a waiver
near impossible.
Mabena said:
Only those whose skills were listed under the Critical Skills list in February, like diesel mechanics, may be lucky.
Immigration
lawyer Lorraine Kapungu of Kapungu Attorneys explained how to apply for a
general work permit. She said an applicant has to get a certificate from the
Department of Labour confirming that “despite a diligent search, the
prospective employer has been unable to find a suitable South African citizen
or permanent resident with requisite qualifications or skills and experience
equivalent to those of the applicant”.
“I believe that different people have a unique skill that is not assessed by
modern methods such as education levels. If a waiver motivational letter is
well drafted and the employers are compliant with the labour rules and
regulations then holders of ZEP stand a chance in respect of their waiver applications,”
she said.
On 13 May, Home Affairs, in a notice, encouraged ZEP holders to apply for
waivers and permits. Director General Livhuwani Tommy Makhode wrote: “The
Department of Home Affairs has thus far received few applications. Home Affairs
calls upon all affected Zimbabwean nationals to apply for one or other visas
through VFS Global without further delay. It is of utmost importance that all
the affected Zimbabwean nationals lodge their applications in order to
regularise and to continue to [stay] lawfully in the Republic before the
deadline of 31 December 2022.”
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