JOHANNESBURG –  ZIMBABWEANS, who are at various stages of applying for the  Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP) can now  travel outside SA, says the South African Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba .
Speaking at a press conference held in Cape Town today, Gigaba told reporters that his ministry had reversed its decision not to allow Zimbabweans to travel outside the country in the interest of not wanting to violate people’s rights to free movement.
“However the minister emphasised that those travelling outside SA should carry their receipts to show that their application is under review,” says Zimbabwe Migarants Association spokesperson Daniel Muzenda.
“We are relieved  that the SA government has reversed its decision, as a lot of  Zimbabweans usually go home for the festive season at this time of the year,”adds Muzenda.
The program is to extend the legal stay of the Dispensation for Zimbabweans permit holders by allowing them to apply for an extension of their stay in the country for another three years to December 2017 under ZSP.
Gigaba is also said to have  expressed satisfaction at the rate at which the application process was going adding that 64% of the 250 000 Zimbabweans (about 160 000) had submitted their online applications.
Gigaba also  added that  MP’s who were interested in observing and monitoring the process were free to go to any of the VSF centres countrywide.
There are VSF centres in Midrand, Gauteng; Cape Town, Western Cape; Polokwane, Limpopo; and Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, George, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, and Rustenburg.
Gigaba also said that his ministry had improved its  efficiency in  answering calls at its call centres, following complaints by many Zimbabweans that they were spending a lot of time on hold, or having none to answer their queries.
A number of Zimbabwean civic groups such as ZMA, Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, the Zimbabwe Organisation of Migrant Workers have also stepped in to help in the process by helping applicant with online applications. – www.zimsinsa.com
