Zim working on exemption permits

Tanaka Mahanya

The Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa will be launching a mapping exercise to ascertain the number of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP) holders who wish to return home.

This comes after the expiration of ZEP on June 30 last year.

In a statement on Friday, the country’s Embassy in Pretoria said the mapping exercise would commence this month up to next month.

“It will be recalled that on November 29, 2021, the government of the Republic of South Africa announced that it was not renewing the ZEP which were then due to expire on 31 December 2021.

“It gave the ZEP holders a one-year grace period, up to 31 December 2022 to apply for waivers or for other visas.

“Subsequent to that announcement, the Minister of Home Affairs announced on 2 September 2022 that the validity of the ZEP had been extended to 30 June 2023.”

The Embassy said the Government was fully prepared to facilitate the safe return of those who wish to return home.

“In order to adequately prepare to do so, the Embassy and the Consulates of Zimbabwe will be conducting a mapping exercise to identify and register ZEP holders who wish to return home.

“The mapping exercise will be conducted in the course of February and March 2023, across all the provinces of South Africa.

“This exercise is composed of two parts, the first being an online registration, while the second part involves physical visits by multisectoral teams to designated areas across South Africa.”