South Africa extends deadline for Zimbabwe special permits

South Africa today extended the deadline for submission of supporting documents for Zimbabwe Special Permits to end of January next year but said the adjudication process could take up to September.

The deadline for submitting applications, however, remains the end of this month which means Zimbabweans have 20 days to file their applications.

“Due to the large number of ZSP permit-holders who have completed the online applications thus far, the Department has extended the closing date for the submission of supporting documents and biometrics to 31 January 2018,” the Department of Home Affairs said today.

“Therefore, people must present themselves to VFS office until this date – 31 January 2018. By the end of September 2018, we should have completed the whole project, including finalising adjudications and issuing the new permits.”

It emphasised however “that the 30th of November is only for submission of online applications.

“Flooding of VFS offices actually defeats the aim of using technology to improve service delivery. Just as it is comfortable to apply for exemption permits at home, where you do not have to queue, we want to ensure that people are not subjected to the discomfort of spending hours in a queue.

“The extension, up to 31 January 2018 is only for scheduling of appointments for the purpose of submitting biometrics (fingerprints) and supporting documents at VFS Offices.”

Below is the full statement:

STATEMENT BY HOME AFFAIRS DIRECTOR-GENERAL MKUSELI APLENI AT THE MEDIA BRIEFING ON THE UPTAKE OF THE ZIMBABWEAN EXEMPTION PERMIT (ZEP) AND EXTENSION OF SCHEDULING OF APPOINTMENTS AT VFS OFFICES

 10 November 2017

Esteemed Members of the Media,

Good day, and welcome to the media briefing on the new Zimbabwean Exemption Permit, in short, ZEP.

Indeed we are thrilled by the rapid pace of applications for the new Zimbabwean Exemption Permit, which began on 15 September 2017, for valid Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP) holders. The submission of the completed applications commenced on 1 October 2017.

The ZSP, which started in 2014, and was issued for a period of three years, allowed Zimbabwean nationals to work, study or conduct business in South Africa. The ZSP will expire on 31 December 2017. The total number of ZSP permits issued was 197 941.

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