MEDIA STATEMENT
The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) and the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) express urgent concern over the continuing uncertainty surrounding the future of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP).
With the ZEP set to expire in November 2025, thousands of permit holders remain unclear as to how the court ordered consultation process will proceed, or whether the government intends to extend the permit.
Last year’s eleventh-hour extension left permit holders in a precarious position. This year, the absence of timely clarity has already led to devastating consequences, with many ZEP holders losing jobs, struggling to register their children in schools for the year 2026 and encountering barriers to essential healthcare.
HSF and CoRMSA call on the Minister of Home Affairs to urgently provide clarity on the status of the consultation process. If the process cannot be implemented in time, government must extend the ZEP well before the November deadline. Such action is necessary to prevent further hardship and to uphold fairness and the rule of law.
