Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Sunday appealed to Zimbabweans living in South Africa to take up the government’s offer to get their documentation in order.
“The South African government appeals to Zimbabwean nationals resident in South Africa to take up the offer to regularise their stay in South Africa beginning tomorrow [Monday],” Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement.
She said the process was aimed at ensuring Zimbabweans complied with South Africa’s immigration laws, and led normal lives while ending their misery of living under constant fear of deportation.
She reiterated the government’s commitment to extend amnesty to all those who possessed fraudulent South African identity documents on condition they handed them back to home affairs regional offices.
The documentation and amnesty process would begin on Monday and end on December 31.
To facilitate the process, 240 home affairs officials had been deployed to 46 regional offices across the country.
“We stand ready to increase this number of officials depending on the number of Zimbabweans applying for documents,” she said.
Dlamini-Zuma called on Zimbabweans to approach their embassy in Pretoria and consulate in Johannesburg to declare their presence and acquire valid travel documents to enable the South African government to issue them with study, work or business permits. – Sapa