Source: ZEP extension faces pushback -Newsday Zimbabwe
THE South African government is facing serious backlash from political parties following the announcement by Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber that the validity of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) will be extended until May 28, 2027.THE South African government is facing serious backlash from political parties following the announcement by Home Affairs minister Leon Schreiber that the validity of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) will be extended until May 28, 2027.
The special permits for 178 000 Zimbabwe immigrants were due to expire at the end of next month before the extension by Schreiber on Tuesday last week.
In a rebuttal to the extension, political party, ActionSA, said the decision represents yet another act of indecision and weakness by a government that continues to avoid confronting South Africa’s immigration crisis head-on. It said South Africa did not need endless extensions.
“While ActionSA supports a humane and orderly approach to immigration, we reject the on-going pattern of temporary measures that erode public confidence, undermine border integrity, and perpetuate inequality between citizens and foreign nationals,” the political party said.
“The minister’s excuse of ‘on-going consultations” with the Immigration Advisory Board offers no comfort to South Africans who have waited years for decisive action.
“There is still no clear, time-bound plan to resolve this long-standing issue, leaving our borders porous and our immigration system in disarray.”
ActionSA said the minister should publish a comprehensive and time-bound transitional plan that set firm deadlines for the conclusion of consultations and implementation of immigration reforms.
“Furthermore, he must strengthen the Border Management Authority and internal enforcement capacity to decisively curb illegal immigration and restore the integrity of our immigration laws by ending this cycle of indefinite extensions,” it said.
However, in an interview, Johannesburg-based international relations expert and former diplomat Saul Molobi said ActionSA was not an influential political party that would change policy in South Africa.
“The ActionSA is one of the few parties from the now-defunct DA-led “Moonshot Pact” that rejected the GNU but after sometime they forged a partnership with the ANC at local government level in Gauteng province — particularly in the three metropolitan municipalities of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni [where it was offered a mayoral position).
“We should not forget that there were numerous allegations of xenophobia levelled against ActionSA’s leader, Herman Mashaba and his party during his tenure as a DA mayor of Johannesburg, and also during elections.
“So ActionSA has a minimal influence over our governance system in the country, considering it only has four seats in Parliament.”
He said the umbilical historical ties between Zimbabwe and South Africa, including the latter’s critical role it played in Sadc and continentally played a
crucial role in the extension of the permits.
Secondly, the country recognises the reasons why Zimbabweans, like many other foreign nationals, have migrated to this country. Economic migration is a universal phenomenon.
“And we have to recognise the role played by Zimbabwean immigrant professionals in this country. The ZEP is a legal mechanism to regulate migration from Zimbabwe into SA, so our rule of law dictates that we encourage as many Zimbabweans who are to the country to regularise their presence in this country by declaring themselves.
Molobi said the extension would also usher certainty and stability to the ZEP holders considering they have been in South Africa for years, have children born in that country and have been paying taxes as employees in South Africa.
Political analyst Ricky Mukonza said political parties might use the foreigners’ rhetoric ahead of the forthcoming local government elections in South Africa.
“I think there will be a lot of rhetoric around the issue of exemption extension of visas. This emanates from the fact that there are impending elections. Parties such as ActionSA and Patriotic Alliance would want to capitalise on this sensitive matter,” he said.
He said Zimbabweans had, however, contributed significantly to the South African economy by providing scarce skills in various sectors.
“South Africa is extending visas because of two reasons, firstly, there could be a realisation of the fact that Zimbabweans are contributing significantly to the economy.
“Secondly, South Africa would not want to harm its relations with Zimbabwe and other African States by appearing to be too hostile. South Africa still needs cordial relations with its counterparts in Africa,” he said.
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