National

South Africa can’t deport permit holders from Zimbabwe until 2023

Published

4 years ago

January 10, 2022

PRETORIA – Holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEP) may not be arrested, detained, or deported during the 12 month grace period, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has confirmed.

Cabinet decided not to extend the ZEPs, which was renewed every four years, in November last year.

Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said at the time that a 12-month grace period would be granted upon the expiry of the exemption permit.

Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi officially gazetted the permit’s grace period two days before the 31 December 2021 deadline, after Cabinet agreed to grant the extension.

The grace period means Zimbabwean nationals now have until December 31, 2022 to apply for alternative visas under the Immigration Act.

The gazette, which was published on Friday, indicated that no holder of the exemption can be arrested, detained, or ordered to depart for not having a valid exemption permit.

Zimbabwean nationals, the document further states, are also permitted to enter into or depart from South Africa during the grace period.

However, it provides that the holder “complies with all other requirements for entry into and departure” from the country, except if they don’t have a valid permit to do so as indicated in their passport.

No holder is required to produce a valid exemption certificate or an authorisation letter to remain in South Africa when making an application for any visas, including temporary residence visas.

Those who have failed to apply for other visas after the grace period ends will be deported.

The Zimbabwean government previously said that it respected the South African government’s decision to not renew the ZEPs.

The exemption permits were granted to more than 250,000 asylum seekers who crossed the border during Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis in 2008 and 2009.

In December, the urgent applications brought forward by ZEP Holders’ Association and non-profit organisation, African Amity were struck off the roll by the Johannesburg High Court.

The organisations had sought to overturn the decision not to renew the ZEPs.

Following the court’s judgement, Motsoaledi said he was “determined to defend any spurious court actions aimed at undermining the lawful and reasonable decision which I took in my capacity as the Minister of the department”.

He said, however, that his department “will acknowledge the rights of individuals and groups to approach the courts to seek remedies if they feel aggrieved”.

Meanwhile, ZEP Holders’ Association’s advocate Simba Chitando argued that the termination of the ZEPs would have dire consequences on the permit holders if they don’t apply for mainstream visas.

Under a directive released on November 29 , companies, employers, learning institutions as well as banks, were instructed to discontinue services to those in possession of the ZEPs, unless the permit holders submitted proof of their application for a “mainstream” visa.

The permits holders’ association wants Zimbabweans to be declared as permanent South African residents.

Home Affairs, however, indicated that it would only consider applications for permanent residence from January 2022. – The Citizen

National

Parliament moves to curb machete gang violence in rural areas

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

Lawmakers are demanding an urgent security crackdown in rural constituencies following a report of nearly 1 000 violent incidents involving machete-wielding gangs over a four-year period.

A motion moved by Brown Ndlovu highlighted the “horrific terror unleashed by machete-wielding gangsters” in the Vungu Constituency of Midlands Province, where murders, robberies, and assaults have reportedly become a daily occurrence. Official records presented to the House show that 997 violent cases were reported in the Vungu district alone between 2021 and 2025 .

Hwange Central MP, Daniel Molokele, recently raised the alarm to VicFallsLive, following his tour at Inyathi District Hospital, where he revealed that the gold panners were now digging under the hospital and that most casualties and admissions at the hospital were linked to machete-gang violence.

Parliamentarians expressed sharp “disdain” for current judicial practices, noting that the integrity of the legal system is at risk . The motion criticized the fact that “suspects who perpetrate such horrendous crimes are often granted bail and allowed to return to the same communities where they freely continue to molest and intimidate victims and witnesses,”a practice they say grossly undermines public safety.

The House has called for the Zimbabwe Republic Police in rural areas to be modernized and properly equipped. Specifically, lawmakers are urging the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide officers with “adequate tools of trade such as vehicles, modern communication equipment, and weapons to wade off criminal activities”. Additionally, the motion proposes that bail should be denied in machete-related cases and that state witnesses be granted enhanced protection from “intimidation, retributions and retaliations”

National

Parliament declares diabetes a public health emergency, pushes for urgent action

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe’s Parliament has resolved to prioritise the fight against diabetes, warning that the condition is rapidly becoming a public health emergency, particularly for children and young people living with Type 1 diabetes.

The motion, tabled in the National Assembly by Concilia Chinanzvavana and seconded by Edwin Mushoriwa, highlights critical gaps in access to life-saving treatment. Lawmakers noted that people with Type 1 diabetes require uninterrupted access to insulin, diagnostics and specialised care, without which they face preventable disability and death.

Despite existing Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) policies and fiscal measures such as the sugar tax, Parliament expressed concern that diabetes remains underfunded and insufficiently prioritised. This has resulted in inequitable access to treatment and persistent weaknesses in care systems across the country.

Legislators also stressed that policy alone is not enough, pointing to frameworks developed by the World Health Organization, including the Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (PEN) and PEN-Plus, which require strong political commitment and implementation.

As part of the resolution, Parliament pledged to champion equitable diabetes care within national development frameworks and to strengthen oversight of health budgets, policies and programme delivery. Lawmakers also called for sustainable financing mechanisms, including the possible ring-fencing of sugar tax revenues to support diabetes care.

The House further urged the integration of diabetes prevention and treatment into primary healthcare systems, alongside improved referral pathways to ensure timely and effective care.

In addition, Parliament emphasised the need for inclusive, people-centred governance, calling for structured engagement between lawmakers, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, civil society, development partners and people living with diabetes.

National

Parliament pushes for funding, recognition of Zimbabwe’s digital creatives

Published

1 week ago

March 31, 2026

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

The Parliament has called for urgent reforms and funding to unlock the potential of the country’s growing creative and digital content sector, citing its role in economic growth and youth employment.

During a sitting of the National Assembly last week , legislators raised concern that despite Zimbabwe’s “vast creative talent” in film, traditional arts and digital media, the sector remains largely informal, underfunded and poorly integrated into national development plans.

Lawmakers noted that thousands of young Zimbabweans producing content on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are earning livelihoods and promoting the country’s image, yet remain unrecognised as key economic players. This has left them excluded from structured funding, training and social protection systems.

The House also flagged persistent challenges including weak production infrastructure, piracy and the migration of talent, which have limited the growth of local creatives while foreign content continues to dominate the domestic market.

Parliament has now implored the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, working with Treasury, to allocate a dedicated budget for the implementation of the National Cultural and Creative Industries Strategy (2020–2030). Treasury was also urged to capitalise and operationalise the Arts Development Fund to support film and digital content production.

In addition, lawmakers called for the upgrading of community cultural centres into digital production hubs, as well as stronger enforcement of copyright laws and the creation of frameworks to formalise and monetise creative work, particularly for digital content creators.