Gigaba releases stats on Zimbabwean Special Permit

As Africa Check explains:

“The Zimbabwean Special Dispensation permit (ZSP) is the successor to a permit issued as part of the Home Affairs department’s … Dispensation of Zimbabweans Project (DZP) which was implemented in April 2009. The aim of the DZP was to create a record of Zimbabweans who had, until then, been living illegally in South Africa. It was also intended to provide an amnesty to Zimbabweans who had been using fraudulent South African identity documents. Many of the Zimbabweans living in South Africa had fled the political violence, instability and economic crises that had dogged their home country for more than a decade.”

According to Gigaba:

• The number of ZSP applications made online has reached 208,967.
• The number of people who have submitted their applications and biometrics is 197,950.
• 197,790 ZSP permits have been approved.
• 160 applications are still under review (some because of incomplete applications, biometrics or because police clearance has not arrived).
• Only 25 applications were rejected because applicants had no previous permit or had negative police clearance.

(Editor’s note: the last three numbers do not add to the total number of applications.)

Gigaba said Zimbabweans who intend to stay after their permits expire on 31 December 2017 will need to apply for normal visas in terms of the Immigration Act.

He said that when the Department last reported in August, 26,986 permits had not been collected. This has come down to 11,499. Gigaba urged people to collect their permits from VFS centres before 31 January 2016, after which all uncollected permits will be returned to Home Affairs.

GroundUp has run several stories on problems with the ZSP:

• Zimbabweans remain unhappy with ZSP process
• Some panic as Zimbabwean special permit closes.
• Confusion over ZSP
• Delays with Home Affairs permits: Zimbabweans sent away from work
• Zimbabweans fear deportation as Home Affairs bungles special permit process
• Slow Home Affairs prevents Zimbabweans from making ends meet
• Zimbabweans report glitches in permit system
• Zimbabweans afraid to go home for Christmas
• Returning Zimbabweans battle with bureaucracy