Cape Town — The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) extended the deadline for the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs).
Schreiber said the decision to terminate the ZEPs and to not grant any extension beyond 30 June 2023 was declared unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid, he said on X.
“I, Dr Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, with the powers bestowed upon me in terms of section 31 (2)(b) of the Immigration Act, have decided to extend the validity of the ZEPs until 28 November 2025 in order for me to fulfil the duty placed on me by the Gauteng High Court to consult the affected ZEP holders and all other stakeholders on the future of the current dispensation,” Schreiber said.
Great News | The South African Home Affairs Minister, Leon Schreiber, has extended the validation of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP) to the 25th of November, 2025. The permits were set to expire today.
The Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEPs) have been extended until 28… pic.twitter.com/CxK4d0pE5T
— Crime Watch Zimbabwe (@crimewatchzw) November 29, 2024
He added that the reactivation of the Immigration Advisory Board (IAB) is now underway and its first task would be to consider, advise and enable the steps required for compliance with the order of the High Court on the future of the ZEP.
According to TimesLIVE, Schreiber said permit holders would be allowed to enter and leave South Africa, as long as he or she complied with all other requirements for entry and departure into and from South Africa.
“No ZEP holder should be required to produce a valid exemption certificate, visa or an authorisation letter to remain in the republic when making an application for any category of the visa for temporary sojourn in South Africa,” he said.
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Picture: X/@Leon_Schreib
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
