The Department of Home Affairs has noted the statement by People Against Suffering Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP) regarding the deportation of illegal Zimbabwean nationals. It is our belief that PASSOP must stop pretending to be the spokesperson of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
The majority of Zimbabweans living in South Africa are law-abiding citizens who have done everything in their power to regularise their stay in South Africa by taking advantage of the Zimbabwean documentation project. This they did to comply with South Africa’s immigration laws which are in line with international protocols and conventions governing immigration.
In this regard, these Zimbabweans nationals speak for themselves through the established Home Affairs-Zimbabwe Stakeholder Forum, a mechanism created to regulate interaction between the Department of Home Affairs and representatives of various Zimbabwean organisations including the Zimbabwean Embassy and Consulate based in South Africa.
The mandate of the Department of Home Affairs arising from our national constitution remains the need to manage immigration securely and efficiently within the laws of the Republic.
In this regard, no country in the world will allow illegal immigration within its borders. This is international practice. This however does not detract from the need to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in line with our international obligations.
Accordingly, those Zimbabweans living in South Africa and had applied for the regularisation of their stay through the Zimbabwean Documentation Project have nothing to fear. Nobody who has applied for the regularisation of their stay in South Africa will be subject to deportation as their stay is protected in our rules and regulations.
However, those who did not take advantage of the regularisation project including those who continue to undermine South Africa’s immigration laws by entering the country illegally cannot claim protection of the country’s rules and regulations governing the regularisation of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
Enquiries:
Manusha Pillai
Tel: 012 432 6646
Cell: 073 758 2235
Cell: 082 389 3587
E-mail: pillai.manusha@gmail.com
