By A Correspondent
Zimbabwe’s government is currently in talks with South Africa about what will happen to its citizens who are in danger of being deported after their permits expire. This is in response to recent remarks made by Leon Schreiber, South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, who told Parliament that the nation has spent R53,817,656 on deporting illegal immigrants, most of whom are from Zimbabwe.
The majority of the 19,750 undocumented immigrants who were deported came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. The South African government has responded by warning immigrants from Zimbabwe and other countries to regularise their residency or risk deportation.
The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), which was implemented in 2009 as a short-term solution to the growing refugee crisis originating from Zimbabwe, is currently held by about 180,000 people in South Africa.
In his Senate address, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said that the government is actively negotiating with Pretoria over the possible deportations. “South Africa’s immigration laws are unique to the country. “As a government, we can make sure that our bilateral relations are used to manage our people’s needs whenever possible,” Ziyambi said.
He recognised that the South African government has changed its stance on undocumented immigrants by refusing to renew permits issued after 2008.
Earlier this year, former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s attempt to appeal a Pretoria High Court decision was denied by South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal, declaring the ZEP programme illegal, unconstitutional, and invalid.
“We are waiting to see if the South Africans will be willing to negotiate so that our people who have been living there can stay under the South African government’s jurisdiction,” Ziyambi continued. There are still diplomatic talks going on between their Department of International Relations and our Foreign Affairs ministry.
The outcome of these negotiations is especially important for many families impacted by the upcoming deportations, as South Africa continues to be a popular destination for Zimbabweans and other African immigrants escaping conflict, poverty, and hunger in their home countries.