Think-tank drags SA Home Affairs minister to court for terminating the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit

The Helen Suzman Foundation, a South African think-tank has launched legal action to challenge Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi’s decision to terminate the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP).

“Our position is that those who have scrupulously observed South Africa’s laws in order to live and work here, under the ZEP, cannot have such permits terminated without fair process, good reason and a meaningful opportunity to regularise their status. It is what our constitutional order demands,” says the think-tank.

The termination of ZEP saw work permits that had lapsed on 31 December 2021 not being extended.

Meanwhile, SA is home to thousands of Zimbabweans who trekked down in search for greener pastures.

This has over the years triggered anger, with natives blaming foreigners for allegedly taking their jobs.

In worst scenarios xenophobic attacks have erupted resulting injuries and deaths.