The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) have called on the government to urgently clarify the future of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), which is due to expire in November 2025.
ZEP holders left in the dark
In a joint statement, the two organisations said thousands of Zimbabwean permit holders remain in the dark about how the court-ordered consultation process will unfold, or whether the Minister of Home Affairs plans to extend the permit.
They warned that last year’s last-minute extension had already left families in limbo, and that this year’s silence is making matters worse. “The lack of clarity is creating devastating consequences,” they said.
Rights groups call for urgent government action
According to HSF and CoRMSA, many Zimbabweans on the permit have already lost jobs, struggled to enrol their children for the 2026 school year, and faced difficulties accessing basic healthcare. They argue that these hardships show why the government must act well before the November deadline.
“HSF and CoRMSA call on the Minister of Home Affairs to urgently provide clarity on the status of the consultation process,” the organisations insisted.
“If the process cannot be implemented in time, government must extend the ZEP well before the November deadline. Such action is necessary to prevent further hardship and to uphold fairness and the rule of law.”
Court rulings keep ZEP valid until November 2025
The ZEP, first introduced in 2009 to regularise the stay of Zimbabweans in South Africa, has faced years of uncertainty.
A June 2023 High Court ruling ordered the Department of Home Affairs to ensure a fair process before terminating the programme, a decision later confirmed by the Constitutional Court.
As a result, the permit remains valid until late November 2025.
But with only months left before that deadline, rights groups warn that the clock is ticking and that delay is once again throwing thousands of lives into chaos.
Should the SA government extend the ZEPs before the November 2025 deadline?
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