By Charmaine Ndlela
The Department of Home Affairs has moved to clear up confusion over the status of Zimbabwe Exemption Permit holders, saying there has been no change in policy and that current permits remain valid until late May 2027.
The clarification follows recent reports sparked by remarks made by Deputy Minister Njabulo Nzuza in a television interview on Newzroom Afrika.
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In a statement issued this week, the department said ZEP holders do not qualify for permanent residence under the conditions of the current permit.
It said Nzuza’s interview, which dealt with the revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, had been misinterpreted in some media reports.
Home Affairs said it wanted to state “categorically” that there had been no policy shift on ZEP holders.
The ZEP programme has been under legal and political scrutiny for years.
In November 2021, after consulting cabinet, government announced that it would no longer extend the dispensation, a move affecting about 178,000 permit holders.
That decision was later challenged successfully, with the courts finding that Home Affairs had to follow a fair process in line with the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act before taking a final decision.
Following those court rulings, the department has extended the permits more than once while it reconsiders the future of the dispensation.
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In November 2024, Home Affairs extended the validity of ZEPs for 12 months, and in October 2025 Minister Leon Schreiber gazetted a further extension to late May 2027.
The department said it is now engaged in a public consultation process on the future of both the ZEP and the Lesotho Exemption Permit.
“This process is essential to ensure that any final decision is fair, transparent, and legally sound,” it said, adding that recommendations will be presented to cabinet by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
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