ZEP : SA Minister fights on

MOREBLESSING MARANGE

South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is unrelenting in his prolonged  fight to terminate the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) programme after taking the case to the Supreme Court of Appeal only two days after the country’s apex court said the move was unconstitutional.

Since 2009, eligible Zimbabweans have been granted exemption permits, allowing them to live and work in South Africa. This specific type of permit, now known as the ZEP, was introduced for those who flocked to South Africa in the wake of an economic and political crisis.

But the South African Minister has been pushing to terminate the ZEP programme amid a myriad of court cases.

The High Court and the Supreme Courts in the neighbouring country have ruled the move illegal but Motsoaledi fights on.

His application was dismissed with costs, with the court finding there were no prospects of success.

The Department of Home Affairs said that Motsoaledi has considered the judgement handed down this week and taken legal advice.

It said the department has decided to “exhaust the legal remedies available to him” and approach the SCA directly.

The South African High Court this week declared that the minister’s case was doomed to fail, as he had not deposed to the founding affidavit.

According to the department, the minister has “already instructed his legal representative to lodge an application to appeal to the SCA without any delay.”

Motsoaledi believes that the matter is of “great public importance” and that it should be considered by a higher court.

South Africa is home to thousands of Zimbabweans who have skipped the border legally or illegally to seek economic and political refuge.

However, some South Africans have shown immense displeasure over the ever-increasing number of foreigners in their country saying they were taking away their jobs while others were involved in criminal activities.

Last year, the Zimbabwean government set up a plan to welcome and accommodate would-be victims of deportation.