National

Zimbabwe Exemption Permit: Six months before expiry, Zimbabweans in SA have mixed feelings

Published

3 years ago

December 28, 2022

BY LENIN NDEBELE

With just six months before the time is up for those in South Africa living under the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP), there are mixed feelings among Zimbabweans, with some wishing for a further extension, while others contemplate going abroad.

The government announced that it would terminate the ZEP on 30 June 2023, a decision that will affect about 180 000 Zimbabweans residing in South Africa.

As early as October, the Zimbabwean government announced that it was prepared for its nationals who were coming home to start a new life and would assist them with transport and other logistics.

While there has been no sign of it backing its words with action, there has been an influx of travellers from South Africa into Zimbabwe.

Between 5-10 December, 62 770 people entered Zimbabwe through the Beitbridge border.

The head of immigration at the border, Cannie Magaya, said although they had no figures yet, on the days leading up to Christmas, there had been an increase in traffic.

She said it could stay like that until early January when people start returning to South Africa.

Brian Moyo, a Zimbabwean working as a teacher in SA, didn’t apply for the special skills visa because he felt it was a waste of time.

While he is going back home in early January, he has set his sights on jobs in China.

He said: “I teach English and that’s not a special skill. I stood a chance as a science or mathematics teacher, as such, applying for other visas was a waste of time for me.

Moyo, before migrating to South Africa, taught at some private schools back home.

He feels his experience there could help him in China.

“There is a demand for teachers in early education in China, and English language is one of the subjects with vacancies. So I am applying for those jobs, and one advantage I have is understanding children’s psychomotor skills and capacity to learn,” he said.

An online search by News24 discovered that salaries for teaching jobs in China range from R70 000 to R120 000, depending on the type of school and level of experience.

In comparison to teaching jobs in southern Africa, Chinese teaching jobs pay way better.

Another opportunity will come into effect in March when the United Kingdom opens up for teachers from South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

But Moyo said he had not considered that option yet, since it was yet to be offered.

Working in South Africa has also become very difficult for those spending their money in Zimbabwe because of the rand’s volatility against the US dollar, the preferred currency of trade.

During the festive season, R100 is the equivalent of $5.80, but most shops or businesses only value it at $5.

“It’s robbery,” said Steven Tshuma, another Zimbabwean based in South Africa.

He added: “They don’t respect this (rand) currency. One is better off coming from Europe or elsewhere.”

‘I hope my boss comes up with a plan’

With the impending ZEP expiry, he is setting his eyes on the UK, Canada or Australia.

“I am starting a nurse aid course with the Red Cross (in SA) early next year. When done, I will apply for jobs abroad. Many have done it. It works,” he said.

Tshuma works at a restaurant and has come face to face with members of Operation Dudula – a vigilante group that intimidates migrants.

He is worried that, a few months before permits expire, xenophobic attacks could resurface, and that by then they would be extreme, because they would be targeting people who had been outlawed by the government but chose to stay on illegally.

He said: “What excuse would I have to be in SA? They could burn us alive, because first and foremost we would be illegal immigrants and going to report criminal conduct at a police station would be getting yourself arrested.

By the end of October, fewer than 10% of ZEP holders had applied for the available mainstream visas.

An estimated 180 000 ZEP holders will be affected by the 30 June 2023 deadline set by the government.

Shiela Ncube, a domestic worker in Johannesburg, has no plans of leaving the country.

She hopes her boss will find a way around the system to keep her in SA-News24

National

Tragic attack in Madlambuzi: Five dead as suspected mental patient goes on rampage

Published

4 days ago

August 22, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Police in Madlambuzi, Matabeleland South Province has are a suspected mental patient, Phamani Sibanda, following a violent rampage that left five people dead and two others injured on Wednesday.

According to the police statement, Sibanda (43) allegedly attacked seven people in the village using a Mopani log, a blunt object, and an unknown sharp weapon, targeting anyone who crossed his path.

The victims of this tragic attack have been identified by their next of kin:

Elliot Khupe, 101, a male adult from Bellas Village
Butho Tshuma, 97, a female adult from Bellas Village
Constance Sibanda, 66, a female adult from Bellas Village
Tiffan Surprise Ndlovu, 6, a female juvenile from Bellas Village
Catra Matsika, 72, from Central Village

In addition to the fatalities, two other women, aged 90 and 41, sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at Madlambuzi Clinic and Plumtree District Hospital.

The ZRP has underscored the pressing need for community awareness regarding mental health issues. “We implore the public to promptly refer mental patients to medical institutions for treatment and to actively monitor their behavior to prevent such violent incidents,” the statement elaborated. It encouraged community members to report any concerns to the National Complaints Desk at (0242) 703631 or via WhatsApp at 0712 800197, or to approach the nearest police station.

National

US suspends visa processing in Zimbabwe, embassy says

Published

5 days ago

August 21, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY REUTERS

The United States has stopped processing most visas in Zimbabwe until further notice, its embassy in the capital Harare said on Wednesday, citing unspecified concerns with the government.

“We have paused routine visa services in Harare while we address concerns with the Government of Zimbabwe,” the embassy said in a post on X. It said the move was not a travel ban and that current visas would remain valid.

The government of the Southern African country did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The pause took effect on August 7, according to a notice on the U.S. State Department’s website, which said it applied to all visa services with the exception of most diplomatic and official visas.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has restricted travel from a number of African countries, saying it is working to prevent visa overstaying and misuse.

Zimbabwe had a visa overstay rate of 10.57% in 2023, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report.

Starting this week, the U.S. will require visa applicants from Zambia and Malawi to pay bonds of up to $15,000 for some visitor visas. The Trump administration has also paused visa processing in Niger.

Harare resident Angella Chirombo said her 18-year-old son had received a scholarship to do his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and had been waiting for a visa interview when the pause hit.

“He was supposed to be in school already. I paid for everything else and was waiting for the visa so I could buy tickets,” she told Reuters.

She said other parents were considering booking interviews at other U.S. embassies in Southern Africa, but that she wouldn’t be able to afford the travel.

“Now they are saying we can go to Zambia and Namibia. I don’t even have money right now and I don’t know where to get this money. They are so many students that have been affected.”

National

Landmark HIV trial begins in Zimbabwe

Published

1 week ago

August 18, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY PAUL SIXPENCE

ZIMBABWE became the first site for the administration of a new investigational HIV vaccine. The first doses of the IAVI C114 clinical trial were administered in late July 2025 at the Mutala Trust clinical site in Harare, CITE reports.

“This is a landmark moment for South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the continent. It shows the power of true partnership,” said Dr. Tariro Makadzange, clinical trial lead, Mutala Trust.

“We are edging closer to an HIV vaccine, made possible by global collaboration, with clinical trials conducted in Africa, for Africa, and for the world.”

The development of the vaccine is a partnership that brings together Zimbabwe’s Mutala Trust, ReiThera, the Ragon Institute, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and African researchers who are co-leading every phase of the trial.

In phase one of the trial, the vaccine candidate, Gorilla Adenovirus Vectored HIV Networked Epitopes Vaccine (GRAdHIVNE1) will be administered to 120 adults between the ages of 18 and 50 years including 48 people living with HIV who are virally suppressed on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Besides Zimbabwe, two other clinical trial sites are located in Cape Town and Durban, South Africa.

Trial sites were chosen on the basis of their high HIV burden and to ensure that the vaccine candidate is tested within communities affected by the epidemic.

This phase of the trial will assess the safety and ability of the vaccine candidate to provoke an immune response in the human body in persons living with HIV and those who are HIV negative.

“The IAVI C114 trial is testing a new vaccine candidate known as GRAdHIVNE1. The trial represents the first time this vaccine is being tested in humans and is aimed at assessing the safety of the vaccine and its ability to stimulate the immune system,” said Dr. Vincent Muturi-Kioi, HIV Vaccines Product Development Team Lead, IAVI.

In a statement, IAVI further advised that “trial participants will receive either one or two doses of the investigational vaccine or a placebo and will be monitored over a period of 19 months for safety and immune responses.” Results of the trial are likely to be available in 2027.

In the past, several HIV vaccine trials have been conducted but none proved effective in preventing HIV acquisition. The novelity of this vaccine candidate lies in that, it uses a harmless viral vector to deliver small parts of HIV “derived from critical structural regions of HIV that are less likely to mutate” with an expected likelihood to trigger an immune response.

“GRAdHIVNE1 uses a harmless virus (a vector for the vaccine derived from a non-replicating gorilla adenovirus) to deliver small, conserved parts of HIV (called epitopes) to the body’s immune system. These targets are derived from critical structural regions of HIV that are less likely to mutate, making them good targets for killer T cells in the immune system (CD8+ T cell responses) — a type of immune defense thought to be important for long-term protection against HIV. The viral vector was selected based on its ability to stimulate this type of response. Should the vaccine be successful in stimulating the desired response, it could be tested in future trials to assess its efficacy,” Dr. Vincent Muturi-Kioi further explained.

The initiation of this clinical trial demonstrates the power of partnerships at a time when the world is witnessing funding cuts towards global public health research. The IAVIC114 clinical trial is sponsored by IAVI. The vaccine candidate, GRAdHIVNE1, was developed by ReiThera and the Ragon Institute with funding from the GatesFoundation. African researchers will be leading

SOURCE| CITE