South Africa Prolongs Zimbabwean Exemption Permits Through May 2027

South Africa’s extension of Zimbabwean permits buys time — but not certainty

South Africa’s government has quietly pushed the clock forward on a fraught and long-running migration question: officials announced an 18-month extension of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP), prolonging its validity until May 28, 2027. For tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who live and work in South Africa, the move offers temporary relief — but not a long-term answer to legal limbo, social exclusion and political friction that have animated relations between the two countries for a decade.

From remedy to rupture to reprieve

The ZEP was created in 2017 as a stopgap measure to regularize the status of Zimbabwean nationals who had been living in South Africa under an older Zimbabwean Dispensation Permit. In December 2021 the Department of Home Affairs moved to wind down the program, telling holders to transition to other visa categories by the end of 2022. That deadline was challenged in court.

In 2023 the Johannesburg High Court found that the termination of the ZEP had been unlawful, ruling the government had not followed a fair and legal process before canceling the permits. The court ordered a review. Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber’s recent announcement formalizes an 18-month extension while that review proceeds.

Relief, and the limits of relief

For people who have built lives on the margins of South Africa’s economy, the extension is significant. A vendor selling cellphone accessories near Johannesburg’s inner-city taxi ranks described the effect in blunt terms: getting the paperwork extended “means I can sleep,” she said, asking not to be named. “We can work, we can pay school fees. But we need something permanent.”

That desire is echoed across community halls and advocacy groups. Lawyers and migrant-rights organizations say the extension was necessary to prevent chaos — mass loss of work authorisation, deportation fears and pressure on courts — while a procedural review is completed. But they also warn that the extra 18 months merely prolongs uncertainty, making it harder for people to plan, invest or pursue more secure residency options.

“This is a stay of execution, not a solution,” said an immigration attorney in Cape Town who has represented ZEP holders. “The department must move beyond temporary fixes to a clear, rights-respecting pathway for long-term residents.”

Why this matters beyond paperwork

Economic ties and political tinder

Zimbabweans have long been among the most visible migrant communities in South African cities and towns. They run small businesses, work in construction and services, and send remittances back to families across the border. Their presence reflects deeper regional questions: Zimbabwe’s economy has suffered cycles of collapse, sanctions and hyperinflation, pushing citizens to seek opportunity in neighbouring countries.

For South Africa, migration is both an economic reality and a political flashpoint. When national unemployment and service delivery pressures rise, migrants are often scapegoated — fueling xenophobic attacks that erupted into violence across South Africa on several occasions over the past decade. Policy vacillation over the ZEP has risked exacerbating these tensions.

Rule of law and administrative capacity

The Johannesburg High Court’s 2023 decision underscored another point: administrative decisions that affect vast populations must meet procedural fairness. Critics of the department’s initial cancellation argued that the government gave insufficient notice, failed to consult, and did not provide an adequate transition mechanism.

Extending the ZEP buys time for a legally defensible review, but it also places a heavy burden on the Department of Home Affairs to design and implement a process that is lawful, transparent and humane. That will require data — how many ZEP holders are there, how long have they lived in South Africa, what are their employment and family situations? To date, the department has been criticised for sparse public information.

Paths forward and pitfalls

Policymakers face several choices, none without trade-offs. They could phase ZEP holders into existing visa categories — work permits, critical skills visas, or family reunification routes — but those categories are often narrow, costly or administratively onerous. They could design a bespoke pathway to permanent residency, which would acknowledge the de facto integration of many Zimbabweans into South African life but would likely fuel political debate about immigration levels.

There are also administrative fixes: clearer communication, streamlined applications, fees scaled to ability to pay, and partnerships with civil society to help applicants. Without these, the ZEP extension risks becoming another bureaucratic limbo.

Lessons from elsewhere

Across the globe, governments have used regularization programs to incorporate long-standing migrants — Portugal’s temporary measures for Brazilians and others, or various EU programs that regularize seasonal or undocumented workers. Such approaches are rarely politically painless, but they can stabilize labour markets and reduce exploitation.

South Africa’s situation is layered with domestic political sensitivities: rising inequality, fragile service delivery, and a political culture that often frames migrants as competitors rather than contributors. How the government handles the review will be a litmus test for whether immigration policy can be guided by rights, evidence and long-term social cohesion rather than short-term political calculations.

Questions for the months ahead

• Will the Department of Home Affairs publish clear data on ZEP holders and an explicit roadmap for the review?
• Can a durable, rights-respecting pathway be designed that balances legal residency, economic needs and political realities?
• How will civil society and affected communities be included in decisions that profoundly shape their lives?

For now, the extension offers a reprieve — a pause in a saga that has left many Zimbabweans feeling perpetually provisional. The clock is ticking toward May 2027, and with it South Africa’s opportunity to resolve one of its most combustible migration dilemmas in a way that is fair, legal and humane.

By News-room
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.