via South Africa tightens immigration laws | SW Radio Africa by Tichaona Sibanda on Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The South Africa government on Monday started implementing sweeping changes to its immigrations laws, some of which will affect millions of Zimbabweans who flock there for better life.
The changes are meant to curb violations in visa-applications and habitual overstaying.
Mutsa Murenje, the MDC-T South Africa secretary for policy and research, told our weekly Hidden Story program the shift in policy will affect Zimbabweans as they seek political and economic refuge in the neighbouring country.
He said the new regulations will affect foreign national wishing to work, study or run businesses. Under the new immigration laws, exceptional skills permits would no longer exist. Under the old policy, sportsmen and women, artistes, medical practitioners, engineers and pilots could enter the country on an exceptional skills permit, regardless of whether they had secured employment or not.
Murenje said according to the new regime, habitual over-stayers of visas or permits, who until Monday have been allowed to re-enter and reapply for further permits on condition they settled their outstanding fines, would now be banned from future entry into the country.
First-time offenders, who overstay for less than 30 days, would be banned from entering South Africa for one year, while second-time offenders who overstay by the same period get a two-year ban and those that overstay for a period exceeding 30 days are banned for five years.
‘We are in discussions as Zimbabweans in South Africa to try and engage the government over the new set of rules. We strongly feel the new regulations are unconstitutional and have been implemented too hastily,’ Murenje said.
COMMENTS
Zuma keep your mbekiland.
MDC-T you have MPs in Parliament you had ministers and you talk of being refugees yet you are part of the government………
The zim government is led by clueless power hungry comfused idiots who care about nobody but themselves.to them government is a family company.ndatenda asijiki
Hapana nyaya apa:
Pretoria – The Department of Home Affairs has noted recent reports in print and online media on the coming expiry of permits issued to Zimbabwean nationals under the special dispensation, from 2009. This was to document those who were in South Africa illegally as a result of the political and socio-economic situation in their country.
The permits will expire approximately December 2014. In this context, Cabinet approved the approach on the expiry of permits issued under the Special Dispensation for Zimbabweans in terms of which permit-holders will be expected to re-apply for permits. As per Cabinet decision, the Minister of Home Affairs will in due course provide more clarity on the process to be followed and the date of commencement. It is not South Africa’s intention to reverse the benefits of the dispensation.
The special dispensation allowed close to 250 000 Zimbabwean nationals to be regularized through South Africa’s permitting regime. It enhanced national security and the management of migration and helped to mitigate widespread abuse of Zimbabweans illegally in the country, by corrupt employers and officials. The department will continue to combat illegal migration, crime, fraud and corruption. It is committed to providing a secured civic and immigration service ensuring all people in the country are safe.
Zimbabweans do not get it.Our misguided attitudes have forced our neighbouring countries to hit back decisively.We should keep our claimed special skills back home and let these countries keep their skills without us bothering them.Well done S Africa,its time you protected your own citizens from these so-called brilliant foreigners.This action will humble a lot of these people who think they are better than the locals.Humility is the key to problems resolution not deceit and pride.
Brilliant? If we were brilliant, we would be having a country better (in all aspects) than all other countries whose citizens we calaim to be dull, yet we run to their countries and hide in their luxuries.Dai tasiya kuzvikudza kwanaMugabe uko and face reality. We are fools and need salvation! Nadatenda hangu.
Gorongoza warova apa! Vanozvikudza chose mazimba!vamwe vakatokuona diaspora unoznwa vachiti ko makauya seiko kuma circles ema academics hatikuzivei!degreed Idiots from Mugabe, Mutambara, Jonathan Moyo,Ncube, Mombeshora, shamuyarira vese!I wonder how their thesis went thru for a pass without bribes!
Dismantle the very Zimbabwe entity and incorporate it into South Africa as part of a Southern African Federal Government – more along the lines of the old Federation of Southern Rhodesia (Rhodesia), Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland. This is the only way to solve this Zim problem. Henceforth, economic policy would be dictated from Pretoria, not Harare.
They can come up with all sorts of immigration rules, it will never work. In the first place, nobody can tell how many Zims are in Mzansi right now. Some of us have had relatives living in SA since the 1940s – many just got citizenships via local IDs – not having been born in SA and nothing has ever happened to them. You simply cant tell them apart from the local Zulu speaking people.
Lesotho citizens cross the border from SA every weekend back to Lesotho to bury their dead. Nothing happens to them. Everybody complains about Zims because of their numbers – but because Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia’s populations are small; at about a million or so in each case, nobody bothers – they simply look the other side.
Eric Honnecker’s East Germany was incorporated into West Germany despite its poverty, how come it has all worked out well? Even them had East Germans flocking into West Germany legally and illegally – now that problem is gone!!
You seem to be a bit ignorant Mr. Sharp Shooter. The reason Batswana and Namibians don’t flock to Mzansi is because our economies are great. We have everything we need, and can afford to import that which we don’t have. We don’t bother South Africans the way you do hence they have no reason worry about us. And we don’t need your ludicrous idea of a federation in the South.
Ricky Bobby?
You economies are not great my friend. Zim’s problems can never be isolated to Zim alone – these economies are interlinked. Besides, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland just dont have the numbers – you can not call such economies great.
How do you develop when you dont have the numbers? There is no local intenal demand to leverage on local resources in these countries and this impedes economic development. Ever heard of the term “ECONOMIES OF SCALE”? This is not possible in these countries.
Countries like Germany and othe EU countries are encouraging immigration of highly technically skilled people because they are experiencing negative population growth rates and this makes them uncompetitive in global terms.
South Africa is now a member of the BRICS – Botswana, Russia, China and South Africa; a grouping of middle income developing countries. Of all BRICS’s five members, South Africa is the only country with a population of less than 100 million people, currently at about 53 million. It is for this reason SA is not a member on its own, but is representing Africa. With the rest of the continent, we then are talking of a population of almost 1 billion people and this gives SA the muscle when engaging other BRICS countries. Without including the rest of Africa, SA’s membership is irrelevant and merely posturing if you ask me.
The problem that you have my Ricky Bobby is sel-hatred as an African, and this you project it through your hatred of fellow black Africans as your contribution above shows. If you check, most Batswana virtuallu worship white people, but will have nothing to do with blacks from neighbouring countries. This is the same problem with black South Africans – self hate!!
Europeans find it easier to set themselves up as the EU, because they dont have complexes that Africans suffer from. Out of self hate, black Africans are now the biggest enforcers of national borders, which they were never a part of their creation in the first place, in Berlin in the 1800s.
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was possible because there were no blacks involved. It was done by whites. Because of self hate blacks find it hard to create such arrangements. Even the regional body SADC is struggling because of this self hate.
Without even considering a Federation, regional intergration in SADC itself, which is their ultimate aim, will never see the day – because of black-self hate!!
How idiotic is african politics am i correct that Botswana is harnessing Electricity from Bulawayo Power Station?
there is a link on this AU website
DIRECTORATE OF CITIZENS AND DIASPORA ORGANIZATION
DR. JINMI ADISA
TEL: +251‐11 518 21 08; +251 11 51 77 00
FAX: +251 11 551 78 44
EMAIL: jinmia@africa‐union.org; cido@africa‐union.org
What are they doing – nothing except twiddling their fingers and and putting their hands out to beg
I get pissed off with reporters who sensationalize issues. these new regulations apply to ALL foreigners so I dont see any reason why Zimbabweans should cry foul. We should be treated just like any other outsiders and simply abide by laws and regulation in other countries period.
your SADC is made up of useless thieving thugs -they do not GIVE A STUFF about the ordinary people- they are all of the same breed – want to stay in power and never step down to make way for someone who has brain. they go putting high fences on their borders and take electricity from places like Bulawayo
Agree Zimbabweans should cry foul and cry foul to these bloody useless SADC who are never asking questions they are bloody cowards
As long as The Zimbabwean Government fails to create an atmosphere that is conducive investment and which will allow companies to operate without hindrance so as to create jobs there will be people ducking and diving in other countries for all different reasons. This problem was created by this Government and anyone that thinks that these people want to be where they are is badly mistaken. Companies are closing down on a daily basis and we have people that think that the South Africans don’t deserve what is happening there. The South African Government is also to blame for allowing this to happen with it’s unwavering support for a political party that has formed Governments in the past 34 years that are going no where. In fact that are going backwards. I agree with Straight Shooter 100% when he says “They can come up with all sorts of immigration rules, it will never work.”
Why worry about SA when Zim is so rich, minerals, educated people, clever people, owners of farms and land
“Why worry about SA when Zim is so rich, minerals, educated people, clever people, owners of farms and land” @jones peter point of correction it’s not Zim that’s rich it is Zanu members. They also stole the best land.
I also agree with Straight Shooter, although my thinking was on the creating the old federation including Mozambique. Mzansi was not in the mix for the reason that I would not have expected to agree because of the massive economic imbalances.
The principle is basically the same.
Why we agree to dismantling colonial legacies except for the borders show double standards in our leadership. Surprisingly the most powerful leader in Europe is nMadam Merkel and she is from the lowly looked upon former East Germany. Shows how mature German politics is .She is not reknowed for massive rallies a preaching hog wash on the political pulpit. But she das managed to lead the whole of the Eu out of recession.
We are still out there giving audience to the Mudedes , Sikhala and Shamisas of this world preaching hogwash.
We go and pay homage to a 90 year old who has overseered the destruction of this nation through police police, murder,tribalism,racism and outright hatred of everything Zimbabwean. We go and give audience to a bafoon like Chinos who has involved in all sorts of atrocities against our people and we make him feel great about himself at our expense. We call him honorable MP.
Let’s leave ZANU to its own destructive devices.
And we have the MDC giving credibility to the whole shebang.
Down with all the traitors.
so how long will it take to incorporate? It must be done by those who have the ability and not just sit and waffle along and twiddle fingers like the SADC idiots
would love to see some ACTION from the ordinary people who are suffering and those organisations that represent them they need to sleep outside the offices of SADC and govet. in south Africa – there has been enough talk
A good development were too relaxed its better they start arresting illegal immigrants hide and seek game missing it!!
Ricky Bobby?
You economies are not great my friend. Zim’s problems can never be isolated to Zim alone – these economies are interlinked. Besides, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland just dont have the numbers – you can not call such economies great. In fact you actually run the risk of these countries being taken over by foreigners or recolonised via the immigration of those with the skills and capital; people such as the Indians, Chinese and Whites!!
How do you develop when you dont have the numbers, please explain? There is no internal local demand to leverage on local resources in these countries and this impedes economic development. Ever heard of the term “ECONOMIES OF SCALE”? This is not possible in these countries.
Countries like Germany and other EU countries are encouraging immigration of highly technically skilled people because they are experiencing negative population growth rates and this makes them uncompetitive in global terms.
South Africa is now a member of the BRICS – Botswana, Russia, China and South Africa; a grouping of middle income developing countries. Of all the BRICS’s five member countriess, South Africa is the only country with a population of less than 100 million people, currently at about 53 million.
It is for this reason SA is not a member in its own right, but is representing Africa as a whole. With the rest of the continent, we are then talking of a population of almost 1 billion people and this gives SA the muscle when engaging other BRICS countries.
Without including the rest of Africa, SA’s membership is irrelevant and merely posturing if you ask me.
The problem that you have Ricky Bobby is self-hatred as an African, and this you project it through your hatred of fellow black Africans as your contribution above shows.
If you check, most Batswana virtually worship white people, but will have nothing to do with blacks from neighbouring countries. This is the same problem with black South Africans – self hate!!
Europeans find it easier to set themselves up as the EU, because they dont have complexes that Africans suffer from. Out of self-hate, black Africans are now the biggest enforcers of national borders, whose creation in Berlin in the 1800s, they were never a part in the first place, .
The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was possible because there were no blacks involved. It was done by whites. Because of self- hate blacks, find it hard to create such arrangements. Even the regional body SADC is struggling because of this self-hate.
Without even considering a Federation, regional intergration in SADC itself, which is their ultimate aim, will never see the light of day – because of black African self-hate!!
“Even the regional body SADC is struggling because of this self-hate.”
then these idiots in this body need people like you to tell them. have a word with Ian Khama next door – wish Imbisa would get this permanent seat in this organistion
When you see all those that sit around this body they are all people who do not want to step down- ro one reason or another.
@Straight Shooter the people that are always bragging that they economies are ok will probably wake up one day and find oh oh oh they are not ok?!! food for thought the motswanas are very very arrogant people too – remember the spinning wheel – what goes up must come down!!
P.S. Straight Shooter these neighboring countries prefer the chinese to their own people who originate from the continent, be it black, white, pink or blue – the simple thing that the idiots at SADC would do is allow free movement – rather than take these bloody chinese noodles all the way from China who are just there to reap what they can sow and line government officials pocket- and throw their cheap goods at everyone – come on Imbisa give them a run for their money