How to minimise
socio-economic disruption of SA permit cancellation
The Zimbabwe
Independent – 08 May 2022
Despite the fact that South
Africa has cancelled work permits for Zimbabwe migrants, people still flock
into South Africa to seek greener pastures.
THE South
African (SA) government recently decided to cancel the Zimbabwean Exemption
Permit (ZEP) or the Zimbabwean Special Dispensation Permit (ZSP), which has
been in place, in various forms, since 2009.
As part
of managing the cancellation, the almost 180 000 ZEP holders were granted a
12-month grace period until December 31, 2022.
Most of the ZEP holders are
unlikely to qualify for the recently published SA critical skills list or the
business visa.
On the
one hand, most of the ZEP holders are already facing professional challenges,
especially with their banks, traffic licence authorities and are unsure whether
they would receive their Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) for benefits,
provident funds, and work benefits after December 31, 2022.
On the
other hand, the growing influence of a vigilante organisation by the name
Dudula Movement exacerbates the uneasiness of foreign nationals in South
Africa.
This
article is a first in a series, which is meant to open a discussion on the
socio-economic impact of the cancellation of the ZEP on both SA and Zimbabwe.
The main
focus of this article is to offer some important tips on how to prepare for
life beyond December 31, 2022. I foresee some disruptions, which might affect
the social, political and economic status of many people, especially
school-going children, those running small businesses, and even those formally
employed. As you know, failure to plan is planning to fail!
Background
and context
The SA
government instituted the Dispensation of Zimbabweans Project (DZP) in April
2009, which would allow the holders of the DZP permit to work, conduct business
and/or study in the country.
The four
main objectives then were to:
- Regularise Zimbabweans
residing in SA illegally,
- Curb the deportation of
Zimbabweans who were in SA illegally,
- Reduce pressure on the
asylum seeker and refugee regime, and
- Provide amnesty to
Zimbabweans who might have obtained SA documents fraudulently.
- A total of 294 511
Zimbabweans applied for the DZP permit, 242 731 received their permits,
while 51 780 were not successful.
According
to the SA government, the DZP was established as a “gesture of support and
solidarity” with a neighbouring country and as a way of managing the large
number of illegal migrants from Zimbabwe.
The SA
government noted then that the huge influx of Zimbabweans into SA was “due to
political and economic instability” in Zimbabwe. On expiry of the DZP permit in
December 2014, the SA government created a new permit, Zimbabwean Special
Dispensation Permit (ZSP), which would allow Zimbabweans permit-holders to
live, work, conduct business and/or study in SA until December 31, 2017.
The total
number of ZSP permits issued was 197 941. At the launch of the ZSP, the SA
government made two important points: (i) SA was looking forward to Zimbabwe’s
“return to a path of stability and prosperity” and that the ZSP was to be seen
as “a temporary bridge to the near future when all Zimbabweans will re-enter
the mainstream immigration process in SA”.
Towards
the expiry of the ZSP, the SA government launched the ZEP in September 2017 to
allow Zimbabweans to work, study and/or conduct business for a further period
of four years (January 2018 to December 2021).
Some of
the key conditions of the ZEP were that the permit
- Does not entitle the holder
the right to apply for permanent residency irrespective of the period of
stay in the SA,
- Will not be renewable or
extendable, and
- Does not allow a holder to
change conditions of his/her permit while in SA. It is estimated that
almost 180 000 individuals are on ZEP.
On
November 25, 2021, the SA government announced that it would “no longer issue
extensions to the Zimbabwean special dispensations” but gave the ZEP permit
holders a 12-month period, up to December 31, 2022.
The
announcement was followed up with the Government Gazette 45727 on January 7,
2022, clarifying that during the grace period, the ZEP permit holders should
either apply for one or other visas as per the SA Immigration Act or risk
deportation on expiry of the grace period.
The
Zimbabwean government, through its Embassy in Pretoria, issued a public
statement on November 30, 2021 urging and encouraging all Zimbabweans who are
beneficiaries of these special permits to “comply with the decision and
cooperate in its implementation”.
The
Zimbabwean Embassy further highlighted that they had initiated engagements with
relevant authorities in the SA government with the aim of making sure that the
implementation of this decision will have “minimum disruption to the lives and
livelihoods of the affected individuals and their families”.
Socio-economic
disruptions
As
promised, in this article, I try to offer some possible ways of how to reduce
the disruption to the socio-economic wellbeing of those individuals and
families who might not be able to qualify for a normal work permit or business
visa.
Instead
of waiting helplessly until December 31, 2022 and become an illegal immigrant,
subject to deportation, it might be important to consider these 10 tips which
can be implemented during this grace period:
Tip 1: Drastically reduce monthly
expenditures. Accommodation or rent is normally the biggest expense. It is
generally accepted that rent should equal no more than 30% of net income. I
however recommend that you drastically reduce it, even if it means changing
your current residence. Get into savings mode.
Tip 2: Plan your children’s next school.
Would you be relocating to a town or rural area? Which one would be your
closest school, what are the entry and uniform requirements, etc? A change from
one country to another, different education systems, schools and even leaving
friends can be traumatic for the children. This must be planned and managed
well.
Tip 3: Work as hard as you can. Use
this 12-month grace period to earn more income. Hustle as if this is the end of
your stay in SA. It might very well be. Get two or three extra jobs. You
would need this extra income to take advantage of the tips below.
Tip 4: Invest in your own accommodation
back home. If you have a rural home, I suggest that you build a decent house
for you and your family. If you are from town, you might want to extend the
current house. The bottom line, invest in a decent roof. Don’t go back into
your parents’ or other people’s houses.
Tip 5: Invest in a small business in
Zimbabwe. Starting a business, especially under pressure, is a tall order. I
therefore suggest that you consider businesses with lower barriers to entry and
minimum start-up costs. If you have an option, I suggest you settle in a rural,
peri-urban area or growth point to get relatively free space for any of these
projects: Spaza (tuck) shop; rearing of small animals such as pigs, chicken,
goats, etc.; gardening; electrical repairs; carpentry; etc. In short, use the
skills acquired in SA to start an income-generating project.
Tip 6: Consider forming partnerships or
cooperatives with like-minded individuals. As indicated under Tip 5, starting a
business is a tall order. You might need partners to share resources, expertise
and get access to markets. Through partnership, it might be possible to buy
capital goods such as tractors (remember there is no duty on farming
implements), drilling of boreholes, buying of irrigation equipment, or buying
goods in bulk for resale.
Tip 7: Should you decide to invest in
agriculture, consider drilling a borehole, constructing greenhouses and drip
irrigation accessories. Make sure you join local farmers’ groups, especially
those involved in your potential line of business. Use social media to connect
to like-minded individuals and organisations.
Tip 8: Register and plan to go to vote.
Let me debunk the misconception that voting is being involved in politics. It
is not. It is a civic responsibility. It is a human right. Remember, SA came up
with the special permits because of the “political and economic instability” in
Zimbabwe. Therefore, use your vote as a tool to bring political and economic
stability to our country. Let me hasten to say, vote for the candidate you
think would bring the stability and prosperity you desire.
Tip 9: Take advantage of returning
resident status. The Zimbabw government offers rebates and tax waivers to
returning residents. For example, under the Immigrant Rebate, an individual
immigrant (including their spouses and children) can import duty-free (i)
personal and household goods such as clothing, linen and furniture and (ii)
motor vehicles limited to one vehicle per immigrant.
Tip 10: Make and maintain friends and
networks in SA. Zimbabwe and SA are neighbours and share common history and
heritage. Despite the current challenges, the two peoples share family,
language and cultural bonds. The Zimbabwean crisis and the subsequent special
permits have actually deepened relations between individuals from the two
countries. Those networks are important, even beyond the Zimbabwean crisis.
Conclusion
I
understand that relocation would not be easy, especially given that the factors
which pushed you out of Zimbabwe are, at best, still present or might have
worsened.
There are
currently strong push factors in SA, mostly from some political parties, SA
government and anti-foreigner community groups.
The
intensity of the push factors might increase as SA edges closer to the 2024
general election.
In this
article, I have shared some tips on how to smoothen the migration back home.
The tips are by no means exhaustive, but I hope they will help us to initiate a
robust discussion on this thorny migration issue.
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