Zimbabwean, Lesotho lecturers on exemption permits face axe

Several Zimbabwe and Lesotho lecturers on exemption permits that allow them to live and work in South Africa have been told their services are no longer required by the Department of Higher Education and Training, writes Ciaran Ryan for Money Web. They head to court this week to have their dismissals set aside as unlawful.

The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Holders Association says this is the latest salvo in a campaign to rid South Africa of Zimbabweans, even though most of them have been living and working in South Africa for more than a decade.

The Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) system was introduced more than a decade ago to regularise the status of Zimbabweans who were illegally in SA due to political and economic hardships at home. The Department of Home Affairs last year announced that the ZEP system would be terminated in June 2023, by which time ZEP holders would have to apply for ‘regular’ SA visas. Several Lesotho nationals living and working under the so-called Lesotho Exemption Permit have likewise been told that their services are no longer required.
Full report on the Money Web site