Pretoria – Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Fatima Chohan, has appealed to Zimbabweans living in South Africa to get their documentation in order.
Zimbabwe – illicit immigration to South Africa
Many immigrants to South Africa from Zimbabwe are still illegal.
“The South African government appeals to Zimbabwean nationals resident in South Africa to take up the offer to regularise their stay in South Africa beginning tomorrow.”
This comes following the department announced all Zimbabwean immigrants must submit an application for applicable records and enroll their status in the country as the particular dispensation permitting Zimbabweans crossing into South Africa the right to reside, work, attend education facilities and access basic health care for a period of six months was coming to an end.
This special dispensation will be to come to an end on 31 December.
She said the procedure was aimed at ensuring South Africa’s immigration laws are complied with by that Zimbabweans, while ending their anguish of living under constant anxiety about deportation led normal lives.
The process will be eased by 240 Home Affairs officials who have been deployed to 46 regional offices across the country and also by VFS GLOBAL.
“We reiterate our commitment to extending amnesty to any or all those who possess deceptive South African identity documents on state they hand them back to Home Affairs regional offices in the nation,” said Minister.
Zimbabwean nationals were called on by her to approach their Embassy in Pretoria and consulate in Johannesburg to declare their presence and get valid travel documents to empower the South African government to issue them with business, work or study permits.
“We are convinced that many Zimbabwean nationals resident in South Africa wish to comply with South Africa’s immigration laws and would want to take up the government offer arrived at through a bilateral deal with the Zimbabwean government, to lead normal lives in the state,” she said.
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