SA embassy fails to cope

via SA embassy fails to cope – The Zimbabwean 3 February 2015

Hundreds of Zimbabweans who applied for work, study and residence permits have slammed the South African Embassy here for arrogance and failing to manage the situation. They are forced to return for days and weeks on end hoping to get their documents.

They start queuing AS early as 4 am and most of them said they had made repeated visits and been treated with arrogance by the officials. “I am from Masvingo and this is the third time I have visited the embassy. I applied for my permit last year and the Department of Home Affairs advised all applicants that they would start receiving the permits in early January.

“This has not happened and the officials are not explaining the situation to us. They attend to a small number of people, maybe 50 a day, but most of these are people with queries not related to permits,” said a nun who identified herself as Miriam. She hopes to enrol at a South African university for her first degree.

By 5am, a queue of cars has formed outside the embassy. Scores of prospective students can be seen milling around or sleeping on the floor.

A Zimbabwean lawyer who had accompanied his younger brother, who has been accepted by a Johannesburg university, complained bitterly about the reception applicants were receiving at the embassy.

“There are hundreds of young students here, a good number of whom will be starting this year. One would have hoped that the embassy would speed up the processing of the permits or at least give explanations on what is exactly taking place.

“The majority of these students come from poor families. They are forced to spend the whole day here on empty stomachs and they will be charged late registration fees when they eventually get to their respective learning institutions,” he said. The Zimbabwean sent questions to the embassy by email last week but there was no response by the time of going to print.