On Saturday, 1 August, Zimbabweans and a range of foreign
visitors in South Africa would have faced being declared undesirable after
having overstayed their visas.
But just hours before that, on Friday afternoon, the SA
home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi gazetted a new set of directions to
extend the validity of already-extended permits and visas.
The effect is that some visitors to SA who entered the
country after 15 March now automatically have permission to remain until at
least 31 October, regardless of the date on their paperwork. They will face no
penalty on exiting SA before that date.
For refugees, asylum seekers, and holders of special
Lesotho permits, the extension if automatic, with no application required.
Conditions attached to visas and permits also remain
unaltered, so those who were not allowed to seek employment still may not do
so.
Concessions for foreigners who found themselves stuck in SA
as borders closed were first introduced in late March. In June extensions were
also granted on asylum-seeker permits, refugee status, and users of a special
permit for Lesotho citizens who were in SA before September 2015.
Somewhat optimistically in retrospect, the extensions were
all granted until 31 July. Business
Insider
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