The cabinet has resolved that migrant Zimbabwean nationals
living in the country be given another opportunity to apply for work permits to
extend their stay.
"Cabinet approved that the department of home affairs
can reopen the re-application process for the current Zimbabwe Special Permit
(ZSP) holders, under certain conditions," Communications Minister Ayanda
Dlodlo said at a briefing in Pretoria.
"The initial special dispensation for Zimbabweans was
approved in April 2009 to document Zimbabwean nationals who were in South
Africa illegally. Their permits expire on December 31, 2017. The Minister of
Home Affairs, Prof Hlengiwe Mkhize will hold a separate briefing to explain the
conditions and the process to be followed once the re-application opens."
In January, then Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said he was "applying his
mind" on the fate of around 200,000 Zimbabweans residing and working in
South Africa on the basis of the ZSP.
He however cautioned that a continuation of the renewal of
the temporary residence "establishes a precedence of permanence".
"People can take us to court and say they have been in
South Africa on this special permit for many years and they now deserve
permanent residence. To offer 190,000 people [ZSP holders] at one go would be
unprecedented. It's unheard of. It's drastic," said Gigaba at the time.
Gigaba has since been moved to the department of finance
following a Cabinet reshuffle in March.
Under the special dispensation granted by Pretoria in 2014,
Zimbabweans who had previously been granted permits under the Dispensation for
Zimbabweans Project were allowed to re-register for the three-year ZSP. African News Agency
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