Government engages South Africa over ZEP holders

18 Dec, 2022 - 00:12 0 Views
Government engages South Africa over ZEP holders Advocate Simba Chitando

The Sunday News

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
THE Government has expressed its commitment to continuously engage its South African counterparts to ensure  there is minimum disruption of life for locals holding on to the expired Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP) whose deadline was extended to the end of June next year.

The development comes amid reports that financial and educational institutions are denying the Zimbabweans access to services leaving a number of locals in that country with no option but to open bank accounts with other people’s particulars to facilitate payment from their employers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was engaging South Africa for the regularisation of the Zimbabweans’ stay in that country as well as putting measures in place to facilitate easy movement of citizens when the 30 June 2023 deadline comes into effect.

The Ministry said locals would be allowed to bring their belongings duty-free, including one vehicle. For learners, the Government through the relevant ministries will ensure that students secure places in local schools.

Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP)

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assisting Zimbabwean citizens to secure the required documents for their legal stay in South Africa. The ministry has also been engaging with counterparts in South Africa to ensure that information is timeously given to Zimbabwean nationals regarding their status,” reads the statement.

Human rights lawyers have, however, been challenging the South African government to allow Zimbabweans access to their bank accounts and schools arguing that they were within the extension grace period.

Human rights lawyer Advocate Simba Chitando who is representing the ZEP Holders Association said he recently received communication from the permit holders that they needed to provide valid documents in order to transact in the banks, while it still stands that they were only to leave South Africa by end of June next year.

A Zimbabwean in South Africa Mr Michael Ndoro* said he had been denied services by banking and educational institutions.

He said he received a message from the bank asking him to comply with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica), an act that counters money laundering, financing of terrorist activities and protecting banking customers from such crimes.

“I got a text from the bank asking me to comply with Fica. They ask you to bring a valid work permit, passport and proof of residence yet our permits expired in 2021, this whole time was just a grace period and there is nothing to prove that you have a valid permit.

“This automatically means we all cannot comply with Fica regulations because literally all ZEP permits have expired. They have not considered the June 2023 deadline and what it means is that we cannot open bank accounts, we can only do transactions via mobile applications but we cannot use the banking halls directly as they want a valid permit to allow them to assist you,” he said.

If one loses a bank card or it expires, he or she cannot replace it as it requires that one enters the bank.
He said Zimbabweans were challenging the matter in court as they suspect millions of rand belonging to foreigners would be withheld in the banking system as a result of the irregularity.

Mr Ndoro said as a result they were using South African colleagues to open bank accounts for them.
“So, my duty now is to keep the card safe. However, the challenge is that I do not know if that person will remain trustworthy as he can easily take my money when I get paid and vanish, who will I report to?” said Mr Ndoro.

Financial Intelligence Centre Act (Fica).

Financial institutions that had advanced loans to Zimbabweans may also suffer losses when Zimbabweans are pushed out of the foreign land before they service their loans.
At school, he said the situation was the same and his children were facing rejection too.

“My son is in Grade Eight at the moment and he was using a study permit obtained because I had a permit myself when we came to South Africa but when mine expired, his also became useless. He is in school but I do not know what will happen in June when we are forced out,” he said.

Moving back home is a non-starter for Mr Ndoro who is in the logistic services sector as he says he cannot start looking for a job after years of being away.

“As from June 2023 there will be trouble for us as the employers will strictly be complying with the government directives around immigration. We were informed that there will be a door-to-door inspection of companies to see physically who is where and if they are documented or not. They also want companies to justify any Zimbabwean employee to see if they deserve to be in that post over South African nationals,” he added.

The bulk of undocumented Zimbabweans do menial jobs in South Africa such as domestic work, odd jobs in people’s homes and companies while many are in the fast-food industry where they work in restaurants as waiters and cleaners.

This category is not offered permits as they do not hold critical skills that are required and that justifies the low turnout in the application for the permits.

“Many Zimbabweans do not qualify for mainstream permits that is why the numbers of people who applied is very low. Those who have critical skills permits applied while they were in Zimbabwe and were awarded quarter permits which expire after five years. They expire according to when the person applied and they have no challenges. Most of us hold permits which have a June 2023 deadline,” said Mr Ndoro.

“My company has to justify why they employed me over a South African, prove that they advertised the job in the Press and the number of South Africans who applied and were interviewed then also justify why I was then employed over them. So, the companies do not even do all that procedure.” — @NyembeziMu

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