via South Africa permits: Mohadi in firefighting 7 July 2014
HOME Affairs minister Kembo Mohadi reportedly told the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa (ZCSA) that the local economy was too small to absorb close to 250 000 locals who risked being deported and said there was need for the special dispensation programme to be extended.
The ZCSA is an organisation assisting Zimbabweans to comply with the new South African permit system.
South African Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba last week hinted that his ministry would not extend special permits granted to Zimbabweans under the Zimbabwe Document Project by a year saying there would be an influx of permanent residence applications.
“l want to be blunt, 250 000 Zimbabweans are holders of these permits. Once you extend with one year, 250 000 Zimbabweans will apply for permanent residence citizenship and that will be a shock to the system and government,” Gigaba said.
ZCSA chairperson Ngqabutho Mabhena told our sister paper Southern Eye that the organisation had a “very progressive meeting with the minister (Mohadi) over the legal status of Zimbabweans in South Africa”.
“The meeting agreed on the following; that the minister (Mohadi) will soon meet his South African counterpart to discuss issues around the Special Dispensation Programme.
“The minister says there is no way that the Zimbabwean economy can absorb all Zimbabweans hence the need for the Special Dispensation Programme to be extended by the South Africans,” Mabhena said.
Mabhena said Mohadi had tasked them with producing a detailed proposal that reflected the diversity of Zimbabweans in South Africa.
The document should have submissions from the Zimbabwe businesspeople in South Africa, workers and students.
More than 200 000 Zimbabweans were issued with permits in the 2009 Special Dispensation process to legalise their stay in South Africa. The permits expire before the end of the year.
South Africa has been introducing a raft of strict measures to regulate foreigners in that country.
Under the new regulations, foreigners would have to travel back to their home countries to apply for new permits once they expire.
COMMENTS
Let the system be shocked Gigaba- under Mbeki and Zuma, your government defended and supported Bob (NOT Zimbabwe) as he destroyed the country, all for your selfish reasons of getting cheap labor and promoting your retail industry as you admitted. So those Zimbabweans, a product of your foreign quiet diplomacy, are there to stay. And there is nothing you can do to stop a hungry man from feeding his family. Live with it. Thank you.
If SA refuse to renew those permits then Zimbabweans will have no choice but to leave or they will be thrown out of the country. It is not for SA to solve Zimbabwe’s problems but for us to solve our own problems. We had a chance to solve our problem throughout the GNU by implementing the reforms. We failed to do so.
To be fair SA did warn MDC of the dangers of taking part in elections without reforms but MDC would not listen. What else did you want SA to do?
Did you warn Tsvangirai and MDC about the dangers of going in the elections without the reforms?
You need to grow up and stop making stupid comments!
Mbeki went out of his way to defend Mugabe. Just before a summit in Zambia called by SADC leaders headed by HE the late L Mwanawasa meant to deal with the”sinking titanic”, what does Mbeki do? He comes to Zimbabwe, stands with Bob and declares there’s no crisis in Zimbabwe! Both presidents are hiding a damning report on the fake 2002 “election”. Zuma was the first president to congratulate Bob on his “election” victory. When Lindiwe Zulu pointed out that Zim was not ready for elections, she was viciously attacked by both president Zuma and Bob. Granted, Tsvangirai was stupid to participate in those elections, but lets not ignore the role that big brother SA played in retarding the democratic process. Otherwise I won’t comment on you calling me stupid for now.
@Wethu
I agree that both Mbeki and Zuma could and should have done a better job of pushing for democratic change in Zimbabwe; they did not. Does that mean that SA has forfeited its right as a nation to say who can and cannot come and work in the country? Of course it does not and to even suggest that is out of the question.
What makes our position even worse as a nation is that even with the blundering by Mbeki and Zuma we still had the tramp “get out of jail” card if MDC implemented the democratic reforms. To be fair to Zuma, he did push MDC hard to implement the reforms and then not to accept elections without the reforms but Tsvangirai paid no heed.
You cannot blame anyone else other than Tsvangirai for having failed to play the tramp card when they had the chance!
We, the Zimbabwean people, are to blame for our failure to appreciate the importance of the reforms and making sure that MDC implemented them. We did what we have always done all these years; follow blindly like sheep to the slaughter!
The wasted chance to change the system of government that we had throughout the GNU years will come again – Mugabe has just scored an own goal by failing to do something to end the rampant corruption and thus the economic meltdown will bring his regime down, guaranteed – I hope to God Zimbabweans will be smart enough to enough the Zanu PF dictatorship is disman-tled this time.
When people like you are wittering about the speck in the South Africans’ eyes but fail to see the log in Zimbabweans’ eyes; it shows that you have learnt nothing from Tsvangirai’s blundering incompetence! If you have learnt nothing then you will miss the next chance to end the Zanu PF dictatorship.
How could I have learnt nothing when I explicitly say Morgan was stupid to participate in those elections? Look, I think you and me agree on most issues here, its our emphasis that’s different…except one. Lets agree to disagree that I think SA, by preventing others who wanted to solve our crisis, then has forfeited its moral high ground with regards to Zimbabweans and their visa application. “You break it, you own it”. By preventing those who wanted to save the country, they have to live with those 250000 Zims, it’s a direct result of their foreign policy. And by the way, those Zimbabweans are not going anywhere, whatever whoever says, I can count 30 of them offhead that I know and not even one of them will go back. I know you don’t agree, so let’s agree to disagree.
I congratulate you on your maturity Wethu. This is forum for constructive conversation not a platform form insulting and bullying other contributors. I salute you for demonstrating that you are a truly educated Zimbabwean rather than a mere schooled pretender.
Thanks for the compliment, yes you have to be patient and respectful on these public forums, the issues in our country are highly emotional and many divergent views linger. However, if we start insulting those we disagree with its counterproductive and makes other nationals who read our forums laugh at us.
I feel sorry for all those Zimbabweans who are caught up in all this for no fault of their own. If the Zimbabwe economy was picking up then they will at least have some hope of getting a job. As things stand, there is no chance of landing a job if they returned to Zimbabwe now. None!
@Wilbert Mukori well said just read an article on how Italy is asking for assisting to help 4000 boat migrants some of them surely ar from the african continent – question what is the African Union doing to assist to avoid mass migration? . – Nothing at all
whose inteests do their represent? ?
@ patel
Africans have become the lazy man who prays for a good harvest and curses God for turning His back on him. The hard working man prays for good rains; he will do the rest to ensure a good harvest.
African has the goods rains, rich soils, a great abundance of mineral wealth, everything one can wish for except the people with mental attitude to harness these resources for their own good! If that is not proof that we in Africa are incapable of self-government then I do not what is!
Until 50 years ago Africans made a big song and dance about white colonial exploitation and oppression. Now with all African countries independent Africans are flocking in droves to the countries of the white colonial oppressors to escape the chaos and death from their country.
How ironic that tyrants like Mugabe who has completely destroyed Zimbabwe’s economy in record time forcing millions of Zimbabweans to seek economic and political refuge in Britain and other Western country should be known for his anti-British rhetoric and his tyrannical rule!
The minister says there is no way the Zim economy can absorb all these zimbos. Whose economy then can absorb them cde minister. These people are innocent victims of corruption; abuse and greed by the zanu pf govt.
Give them refugee status
Its like a father pleading with his neighbour to feed his family because he cant afford to stop drinking in order to buy them food.
Exactly! SA is having its own growing unemployment problem and it is naive to think SA will solve Zimbabwe’s problems. We had our chance to kick Mugabe out and we fcuk that up big time and now we must suffer for it!
I reckon all foreigners are being held hostage by these new immigration laws because the ANC government simply wanted to find a way to restrict Linda Shange from gaining citizenship as they see here as an external force influencing politics through Marakana!
The ailing Minister is opposing his leader who says he has given Zimbabweans wealth. New job markets including the lucrative air time marketing let alone the vast investment opportunities in the mining sector where the party is allocating mining fields to all and sundry. Come on comrade Mohadi tell those to come back home. There is more than enough for everyone AS LONG LONG AS THEY ARE………
Malusi Gigaba is under pressure from us the voters , they promised us that they will create jobs during the election campaigns and so keeping all these foreigners for nothing here it does not make sense.
The local government elections are just less than 2 years away and some of the provinces the numbers have droped during election and so ANC will do anything to bring back those numbers.the big question is why keep millions foreigners who are not potential voters wheres the potential ones are struggling.its better to please the ones who in turn give you a vote.
No option,we will just take what is at hand,but stop talking about elections since you know that a cobra doesn’t works fairly.