JOHANNESBURG – South Africa is urging Zimbabwean exemption permit holders to convert to permanent residence and other mainstream visas, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza said on Monday.
Nzuza said the ZEP – which was first introduced in 2009 to allow more than 200,000 eligible Zimbabweans to live and work in South Africa – was always meant to be a temporary arrangement, and holders should now consider longer-term options.
“The ZEP was a special permit issued to Zimbabweans under certain conditions and we have been renewing it over time,” he told Newsroom Africa. “We are calling on holders of that permit to look at other legal avenues in which they can apply for permanent residence or another type of permit, as the exemption permit itself was meant to be a temporary arrangement.”
He stressed that people wishing to reside in South Africa should make a formal application rather than relying on constant renewal.
“If they want to stay in the country, they will have to apply for other methods of entry into the country, including applying for permanent residence and other permits,” he said.
However, Nzuza cautioned that the process would not lead to complete regularization.
“All of those applications will be looked at on a merit basis; it won't be a blanket approach where you say all ZEP holders are now permanent residents. Every person must apply and then we will determine whether they qualify,” he explained.
The Deputy Minister also specifically addressed economic migrants, urging them to apply for business permits rather than entering the asylum seeker system as a route to eventual permanent residence.
The announcement comes months after the Home Ministry extended the validity of ZEP till May 28, 2027.