Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is currently undertaking an extensive series of nationwide public consultations regarding the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) and the Lesotho Exemption Permit (LEP).
This is being done in line with the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) of 2000.
In a statement on Friday, spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs and Deputy Director-General for Operations Mr Thulani Mavuso said they remain committed to a process that is fair, transparent and legally sound.
“Following previous legal challenges, the Department is strictly adhering to the court’s directive that any final decision be reached only after a rigorous and inclusive consultation process,” said Mr Mavuso.
“The primary objective of these consultations is to gather meaningful input from all affected stakeholders. This includes assessing the potential impact of any future decisions on permit holders, their dependents and the broader South African public”.
He said they launched the consultation process with Government stakeholders on April 14 in Tshwane this year.
This process, he added, was followed by comprehensive public workshops in the Free State on April 23, a virtual session for the Eastern Cape on May 13, North West on May 19 and the Western Cape on May 22.
Mr Mavuso said these public consultations had brought together ZEP and LEP holders, community members, representatives from the agricultural and business sectors, traditional leaders, Chapter 9 institutions, and civil society organisations.
“To ensure that every voice was heard, the Department has scheduled further virtual and physical consultation sessions across the country as follows, May 26 in Mpumalanga – Mbombela (physical) 28 May 28, KwaZulu-Natal (virtual), May 29, Northern Cape (virtual) and 10 June 10 in Limpopo – Polokwane (physical),” he said.
“The consultation process will culminate in a National Consultation Workshop on June 18 in Gauteng. This session will bring together key interest groups, including civil society organisations and ZEP litigants, the embassies of Zimbabwe and Lesotho, international bodies such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), and Chapter 9 institutions”.
Mr Mavuso added that the public consultations will inform the development of a comprehensive policy position on ZEP and LEP.
He said a detailed report, including recommendations based on stakeholder and public input, will be submitted to Cabinet by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
“Submissions should be forwarded to the Department in any of the following ways, by hand to the Department in Pretoria, by post to the Department at Private Bag X114, Pretoria, 0001; or By e-mail to [email protected],” said Mr Mavuso
“The Department remains committed to finding a sustainable, fair and legally sound solution to this long-standing matter”.
Already the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) has urged Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders and other stakeholders to take part in nationwide consultations.
It is understood that the consultations follow a 2023 High Court judgment in Helen Suzman Foundation Vs Minister of Home Affairs and Others, which found the decision to terminate the ZEPs unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid.
The court ruled that affected individuals must be given a meaningful opportunity to be heard before any decision impacting their rights and legal status is taken.
Since that order, the Department of Home Affairs has issued several directives extending the validity of ZEPs, leaving the future of an estimated 178,000 permit holders uncertain.
