This is the third time the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit has been extended since 2017. It’s time to give us permanent residence, says permit holders association. From Moneyweb.
Good news for the roughly 180 000 Zimbabwean and 55 000 Lesotho exemption permit holders living and working in SA: the validity of their permits has been extended until 28 May 2027.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber announced the 18-month reprieve this week, as the current exemption permits were due to expire on 28 November 2025.
The extension ensures continued protection for Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) and Lesotho Exemption Permit (LEP) holders while the recently reformed Immigration Advisory Board (IAB), set up to advise the minister, comes up with a long-term solution.
The extension means permit holders may not be deported, arrested, detained, or subjected to legal action on the basis of their residence status.
“Over the years, the ZEP and LEP issue has led to several judicial rulings that declared its termination unlawful, unconstitutional, and invalid,” says Jaco Brits, head of immigration at Xpatweb.
Schreiber reinstated the IAB on 1 April 2025, after almost a decade.
“A key function of the board is to review exemption permits,” he says. “Since its reactivation, the IAB has met on several occasions deliberating the issue, but as critical stakeholders will need to be consulted before a final decision, the extension is justified.”
A blessing and a curse
For many in the Zimbabwean community, the permit extension is both a blessing and a curse. It means they are free to live and work in SA for another 18 months, but it’s what happens after May 2027 that concerns them.
ZEP Holders Association (Zepha) representatives told Moneyweb of the growing hostility towards foreigners, revved up by political opportunists looking for votes.
Many have been denied access to schools and hospitals by vigilante groups like Operation Dudula, while others have had their bank accounts closed.
“The minister’s decision to extend the ZEP, this time for 18 months, serves only to buy both ZEP holders and the government more time, but doesn’t do anything to resolve the problem,” says Zepha spokesperson Advocate Simba Chitando.
“The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has failed to conduct public consultation, as directed by the court years ago. Members of Zepha discussed the extension on our platforms.
“The common sentiment was that the ZEP has become a form of legalised modern slavery,” he adds.
“Their labour is being exploited for no benefit to ZEP holders, who are left to live and work for 12 months at a time, without documentation that would empower them to buy property, access credit facilities, and build lives for themselves and their families.”
The only viable solution – one that Zepha has advocated for years – is to allow ZEP holders to apply for permanent residency in terms of the existing Immigration Act, says Chitando.
“Every ZEP holder qualifies for permanent residency. Unfortunately, ZEP holders and African migrants generally are political pawns in the hands of politicians who have galvanised hate to distract the South African public from their own failures, and are willing to unlawfully torment ZEP holders to win votes.”
Long-term solutions
Brits says the permit extension offers temporary relief to permit holders while consultation process and deliberations on the future of the LEP and ZEP system continue.
Read: Parliament urged to pass law on detention of immigrants
He advises permit holders to explore long-term solutions, including applying for mainstream work visas or other permits to secure their legal status in SA over the longer term.
Chitando says Zepha is deliberating on whether to take the minister back to court to secure permanent residency for its members, as is allowed under the Immigration Act.
