A Pretoria court declares the suspension of exemptions for Zimbabwean citizens “unconstitutional”

June 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –

A Pretoria high court on Wednesday declared the South African Home Office’s decision to suspend Zimbabwean exemption permits (ZEP) for about 178,000 Zimbabweans working and living in South Africa “unconstitutional.”

Judges Colleen Collis, Gcina Malindi and Mandlenkosi Motha have ensured in their ruling that the measure is “null” and have prohibited officials from arresting or deporting Zimbabweans who have their permits in order, the newspaper ‘Mail & Guardian’ reported.

The Government of South Africa announced in November 2021 that the ZEPs would be canceled before December 31 of that year and that no more permits would be issued, although it granted a twelve-month moratorium so that Zimbabweans could regularize their situation.

The Home Office move was taken to court by the Helen Suzman Foundation, a civil rights group that claimed the decision was made without prior public consultation. The court has finally agreed with the NGO and has ruled that the Government did not value legal representation on the part of those affected.

The South African Interior Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, criticized the Foundation in July 2022 for its lawsuit, going so far as to ensure that South Africa “is under the dictatorship of some NGOs that have anonymous and dubious funders.”

“There is a disturbing and growing trend by some NGOs to sabotage government decisions using the courts. This development must be nipped in the bud as soon as possible,” Motsoaledi said in a statement.

Since 2009, the South African government has been issuing special permits for citizens of the neighboring country in an attempt by the authorities to regularize the situation of thousands of people fleeing the political and economic crisis.