Zimba Rawanirwa Nyasha PaMzansiSouth Africa- The government has extended the deadline for Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders and other visa applicants to the end of September.
The affected are those whose documents expired at the end of March.The new deadline, now set for 30 September, provides temporary relief for thousands of Zimbabweans who have been left in limbo as authorities work through a backlog of visa and permit applications.
Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber announced the extension on Tuesday under Immigration Directive Number 4 of 2025.
He acknowledged that despite efforts to clear outstanding applications, many remain unprocessed due to administrative delays.
“The Department of Home Affairs has been working to resolve the backlog in its visa and permitting system. However, many applications will not be ready for collection before the 31 March deadline due to delays in printing and processing,” Schreiber said.
The decision is particularly significant for Zimbabweans on the ZEP, a special dispensation permit that has been in place since 2009.
Originally introduced as the Dispensation of Zimbabweans Project (DZP), it was later restructured into the Zimbabwe Special Permit (ZSP) in 2014 and the current ZEP in 2017.
The ZEP has provided a legal pathway
for Zimbabweans who moved to South Africa, but its future remains uncertain. The South African government has indicated plans to phase out exemption permits, urging Zimbabweans to apply for mainstream visas or consider returning home.
Around 178,000 Zimbabweans were eligible to apply for new exemption permits, which are set to expire at the end of November. However, processing delays have left many waiting for clarity on their legal status.
Under the latest directive, ZEP holders and other affected visa applicants will not be declared undesirable if they choose to leave South Africa before 30 September. Those awaiting the outcome of waiver applications can travel in and out of the country without penalty until then.
However, non-visa-exempt individuals with pending waiver applications must apply for a port of entry visa before re-entering South Africa. The directive also applies to long-term visa applicants but
does not cover those awaiting permanent residence decisions.
Only foreign nationals who have legally entered South Africa and submitted their applications via VFS Global, with verifiable proof of submission, will qualify for this concession.
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