By John Chimunhu (News Of The South).
South African Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has said special permits for African migrants will not be “unilaterally removed”, giving hope to some 250 000 Zimbabweans whose visas expire in December.
Speaking in Parliament in Cape Town Tuesday, Gigaba said the country recently tightened its visa regime in response to global security challenges and not as an assault on fellow Africans.
“We reject with contempt any suggestion that these regulations are part of an Afrophobic agenda to keep Africans, or any nationality for that matter, out of South Africa,” Gigaba said while giving his ministry’s budget vote speech.
“We value the contribution of fellow Africans from across the continent living in South Africa and that is why we have continued to support the AU and SADC initiatives to free
human movement, but this can not happen haphazardly or to the exclusion of security.”
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Gigaba's speech ends weeks of speculation and panic among Zimbabwean migrants, triggered by publication of the new tougher regulations on May 26. At least a quarter of a million Zimbabweans had visas waived for five years, and the special arrangement expires on December 31.
Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi assured his countrymen that high-level talks were set to take place with Pretoria over the issue.
South Africa has been criticized heavily for giving priority visas only to those with rare skills while denying entry to their less educated foreign spouses.
Under the new regulations, overstaying attracts heavy penalties while migrants will be forced to return to their home countries to re-apply for visas or change their status.
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