The South African Government has, following a bilateral agreement with the Zimbabwean government, announced its intention to document Zimbabweans living in South Africa with effect from Monday, 20 September 2010.
The decision, as elaborated upon by South Africa’s Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, also extends amnesty to all those Zimbabweans who return fraudulently acquired South African Identity documents to South African Home Affairs regional offices across the country.
In pursuance of this objective, the South African Department of Home Affairs has since the announcement of the decision of the South African government, convened several meetings with representatives of the Zimbabwean community living in South Africa to discuss the matter.
These meetings, the last which was held yesterday, Wednesday, 22 September in Pretoria, was attended by among others representatives of the MDC-T, MDC-M, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, Solidarity Peace Trust, Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, Zimbabwe Business Forum, Zimbabwe Diaspora Association, Zimbabwe Political Victims Association as well as officials of the Zimbabwean Embassy and Consulate based in South Africa.
In this regard, the representatives of the organisation herein mentioned, together with officials of the South African and Zimbabwean governments acknowledge that the majority of the Zimbabwean nationals living in South Africa are law-abiding citizens who wish to comply with South Africa’s immigration laws in line with international practice and yearn to lead normal lives within the framework of the laws of South African.
The organisations further recognise that the history of our two countries and peoples is inextricably linked, having developed in the theatre of the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggles and consolidated through state-to-state and people-to-people relations. In this context the organisations and officials recognise the need to avoid anything that will undermine the territorial integrity of the two independent countries.
Accordingly, all of us have resolved:
- That despite challenges that exist, we give our unflinching support to the South African Government decision to document Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
- To jointly make a clarion call to all Zimbabweans living in South Africa to heed the call for their documentation in line with international practice
- To reiterate the bilateral agreement that the Zimbabwean Embassy and Consulate in South Africa will assist the process by providing Zimbabweans living in South Africa with valid travel documents which are machine-readable
- To reiterate further that the South African Government will upon application, issue holders of such valid Zimbabwean travel documents with relevant study, business or work permits.
- Furthermore to call upon South African businesses and learning institutions which employ and have Zimbabweans students in the midst to provide them with affidavits verifying their status to enable the South African government to issue them with relevant permits. In this regard, we wish to assure South African businesses and employers that no punitive measures will follow such declaration of their employees.
- In addition, the South African Government reiterates its commitment to grant amnesty to all those Zimbabweans who return fraudulently acquired South African identity documents and permits to Home Affairs regional offices across the country.
The organisation and officials of the South African and Zimbabwean governments further resolved to establish a stake-holder forum consisting of all stakeholders referred to herein and convened by the South African Home Affairs Department.
The objective of the Stakeholder Forum shall be
- to work in partnership to mobilise Zimbabwean nationals behind the process of their documentation through all means at our disposal including organisational structures and means of communication
- to unlock all logjams that may impact negatively on the objective of documenting Zimbabweans living in South Africa
- to identify and escalate issues that may require the urgent attention of the Joint SA-Zimbabwe Government Task Team.
In addition, the South African Government has created two call centre numbers to assist Zimbabwean nationals who wish to enquire about the process. The numbers are 0800 60 1190 or 0800 864 488.
We are convinced that Zimbabweans living in South Africa will indeed heed this call by their organisation represented here and to take advantage of the genuine offer made by the South African government to document Zimbabweans living in South Africa. We recognise further that the offer to document Zimbabweans is part of a broader plan by the South African government to document all other nationalities that have not been documented before.
