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Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
The plan by Government to ensure a smooth return for Zimbabweans who have been living and working in South Africa, has been commended by the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum.
The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum represents the interests of Zimbabweans based in South Africa.
Up to 170 000 holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP) have until the end of June this year, to migrate to mainstream permits in South Africa.
Those that fail to get the mainstream permits will be required to return to Zimbabwe.
The current permits were issued in 2017 and in November 2021, the South African government said no further concessions would be allowed on ZEP holders.
The Department of Home Affairs then granted a 12-month grace period up to December 31, 2022 to allow permit holders to apply for a visa in a different category to allow them to legally reside in South Africa.
After further consultations, the grace was period was extended to June 30 this year.
Faced by the reality that its citizens were now required to return to their country, the Government came up with a raft of measures to ensure the returnees feel at home.
Some of the measures include a special facility to bring all their property duty-free while one car will also be brought to Zimbabwe duty-free.
Zimbabwe Exiles Forum chairperson, Advocate Gabriel Shumba applauded the decision by the Government to come up with measures to welcome the returnees.
“We have been consistently working with individuals and formations that are affected by the pending repatriation of Zimbabweans from South Africa,” said Adv Shumba.
“We are encouraged by the proactive role that the Consulate has taken in engaging Zimbabweans in South Africa, in particular, Mrs Melody Chaurura (the Consul-General) and her team.
“In addition, we also acknowledge the collaboration that the International Organisation Migration (IOM) has had with some organisations to alleviate the challenges on the ground.”
Adv Shumba there was also need for the Government to educate border authorities on the procedures to clear the returnees.
He said the duty free offer was encouraging although there was a need to have a blanket waiver on all properties that the returning citizens have.
“While we appreciate the relief given to Zimbabwean returnees in the form of priority clearance and some duty free concessions, we receive complaints that implementation remains a challenge for returnees currently going back as there isn’t much distinguishing returnees and ordinary travellers when it comes to prioritisation,” he said.
“We also applaud the concession on duty free import, but our worry is that it has been restricted to one car for people who have been in South Africa for close to, or beyond 15 years.
“We would appreciate a blanket waiver on all properties for those returning.”
Adv Shumba said they had also received calls from those that are disabled, requesting that they be prioritised during the process.
The Department of Immigration said recently that it was ready to assist returnees when they come at the expiry of their permits.
Acting Head of Immigration at Beitbridge, Mr Trustworthy Manatsire, said they had fully apprised their workers on the need to ensure a seamless clearance of the returnees.
“We are ready to assist our brothers and sisters should they decide to come home at the expiry of the ZEP permits,” he said.
“At the same time, we have fully advised our officers to share adequate information with returning residents on the steps they need to follow when clearing themselves and their properties.
“In essence, every border agency has been activated and they know what to do and are willing to help.”
Mr Manatsire said border front workers were always ready to assist any returnees, adding that their officers had been equipped accordingly.
Zimbabwe Ambassador to South Africa Mr David Hamadziripi last week said they were conducting an audit to ascertain the number Zimbabweans living in that country, who are planning to return home ahead of the expiration of their permits.
The audit is aimed at smoothening their return.
“We will be running a mapping exercise in all provinces.
“We will be deploying our teams to central points across the country to engage with ZEP holders.
“This will allow us to have an idea of how many are set to return and the kind of assistance they would need,” said Mr Hamadziripi.
Online Reporter