By Alicia Mmashakana
Zimbabweans living in South Africans have been given a last-minute reprieve, with Home Affairs extending the validity of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) for a year.
The extension to 28 November 2025 was formalised in a Government Gazette on Friday.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Shreiber said that in order to fulfill a high court’s mandate, he needed to consult affected ZEP holders and all other stakeholders about the future of the current arrangement.
“The reactivation of the Immigration Advisory Board is currently underway and its first task will be to consider, advise and enable the steps required for compliance with the Order of the High Court on the future of the ZEP,” he said in a statement.
In June last year, the High Court in Pretoria confirmed that the termination of the ZEP was unlawful, and a subsequent appeal of the decision was refused by the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court.
More than 170,000 ZEP holders are estimated to be living in South Africa.
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