Zimbabwean migrants hopeful SA will renew permits

via Zimbabwean migrants hopeful SA will renew permits | SW Radio Africa June 24, 2014 by Mthulisi Mathuthu

The Zimbabwe Migrants Association has said it is ‘positive’ that the South African government will renew the permits of the exiles who were four years ago allowed to live and work there.

This comes after the South African Home Affairs department advised Zimbabwean nationals who were given permits in 2010 under the Dispensation for Zimbabweans programme to ‘wait patiently and with no panic’ as Pretoria moves to review the process ahead of the expiry of the documents.

On announcing the process to review the dispensation in March, the South African government indicated that the Zimbabwean exiles may have to return to their country and apply for the renewal of the permits from there. Since then Zimbabwean exiles have been lobbying Pretoria to reconsider its plan and allow them to stay on in the country and have their stay revalidated from within.

Speaking to SW Radio Africa Daniel Muzenda from the Zim Migrants Association said his organization is engaged with Pretoria on the issue and is ‘positive that they will reconsider their position’. Muzenda urged members of his association to heed Home Affairs Director General Mkuseli Apleni’s advice to remain patient while they wait for the outcome of the negotiations. Muzenda said as part of its lobbying exercise, the association has compiled research and evidence on Zimbabweans’ contribution to South Africa’s wellbeing and how their sudden removal would affect the country’s economy.

Meanwhile the ZimEye website has reported that both a Botswana police volunteer and a Zimbabwean woman, Margaret Hudson, will soon appear in court after they were charged with fighting in public.
Hudson claimed that the volunteer assaulted her for no apparent reason, an allegation which the volunteer officer denied saying the two fought after Hudson tried to flee on being arrested without proper documents. For lack of evidence the police charged the two with fighting and they will both appear in court after Hudson, who was badly beaten in the altercation, recovers.