By Nyashadzashe Ndoro

Copyright nehandaradio

SOUTH AFRICA – As the November 2025 expiration deadline draws near, holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) are once again facing an uncertain future, as the South African government has yet to provide timely clarity 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 urged the government to provide urgent clarity to prevent further hardship for thousands of Zimbabwean nationals.

“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 advocacy groups stated in a joint statement last week.

The concerns follow events in November 2024, when the ZEP was due to lapse. The looming expiry triggered widespread panic as permit holders queued in long lines and battled an overwhelmed appointment booking system in attempts to regularise their stay.

Many feared arrest, deportation, or losing access to jobs, healthcare, and education.

At the last minute, on 29 November 2024, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced an extension of the ZEP’s validity until 28 November 2025.

In a government gazette, Schreiber explained that the extension was necessary to comply with a Gauteng High Court ruling requiring meaningful consultation with affected permit holders and other stakeholders on the future of the exemption system.

During the extension period, ZEP holders were assured that they would not be arrested, detained, or deported solely on the basis of not having a valid exemption certificate.

They were also permitted to travel in and out of South Africa, provided they met all other entry and departure requirements.

The Immigration Advisory Board was reactivated to advise on the consultation process, but almost a year later, organisations say little progress has been communicated.

With the November 2025 deadline fast approaching, advocacy groups warn that last year’s eleventh-hour decision should not be repeated, calling for the government to provide clarity well in advance.

“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 the year 2026 and encountering barriers to essential healthcare.

“HSF and CoRMSA call on the Minister of Home Affairs to urgently provide clarity on the status of the consultation process. If the process cannot be implemented in time, government must extend the ZEP well before the November deadline.

“Such action is necessary to prevent further hardship and to uphold fairness and the rule of law,” read the statement.