Zimbabweans Urged To Apply For SA Permits Before Deadline

​The South African Home Affairs is urging Zimbabweans based in South Africa to apply for permits before the deadline on December 31.

Zimbabweans Urged To Apply For SA Permits Before Deadline
This call is for all who have had special dispensation permits issued since 2009.
In a statement, South Africa’s Home Affairs minister, Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize, urged Zimbabweans with valid passports to renew their permits before the expiry date to avoid deportation.
According to Mkhize, “Zimbabwean Special Dispensation Permit Current (DZP) permit-holders, who wish to remain in South Africa, after the expiry of their permits, can reapply for the ZSP, subject to certain conditions.”
The conditions include a valid Zimbabwean passport, evidence of employment, business or accredited study, and a clean criminal record.

Mkhize said successful applicants will receive new permits valid until December 31, 2020. Applications can only be made between June 1 2017 and December 31 2017.
Applications must be made via visa facilitation services (VFS), and adjudicated by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). Applications will begin online, with appointments given for in-person finalisation at a visa facilitation centre.
An administration fee will apply but is yet to be divulged. ZSP permit-holders who wish to stay in South Africa after the expiry of the ZSP, must return to Zimbabwe to apply for mainstream visas and permits under the Immigration Act, subject to the relevant requirements.
According to reports this deadline raises anxiety as to the time for processing the applications. According to minister Mkhize there are 245,000 applications. This means that there are 80 000 potential applicants per month.

Four new offices in Gauteng, Western Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, to facilitate the vetting of applicants and issuance of new permits.