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Zimbabwean Exemption Permit — existing-holder extension

South AfricaHumanitarian protection

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What exactly is this: asylum, temporary protection, humanitarian admission, resettlement or another protection mechanism?

This is not asylum. The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit is an exemption granted under section 31(2)(b) of the Immigration Act, 2002, and this route is the Minister of Home Affairs' directive extending the validity of exemptions already granted. In Immigration Directive No 21 of 2025, published on 7 October 2025, the Minister decided to extend the validity of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits until 28 May 2027, directing that existing ZEPs shall be deemed to remain valid for an additional eighteen months after the current expiry date of 28 November 2025. The directive is an interim measure taken pending the conclusion of consultations on a long-term solution.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The directive does not describe how a ZEP is obtained; it only extends exemptions already granted.
  • The directive states no application, fee or renewal procedure for the extension itself.

Which population, circumstances or geographic group does the mechanism cover?

The directive is addressed to all Zimbabwean Exemption Permit holders. It applies to existing ZEPs, that is, exemptions already granted under section 31(2)(b) of the Immigration Act whose current expiry date was 28 November 2025. It does not create any new eligibility: a person who never held a ZEP is outside it. The Minister records that the Immigration Advisory Board, appointed with effect from 1 April 2025, has met on several occasions and deliberated on the immediate future and a long-term solution for holders of ZEP permits, and that critical stakeholders will need to be part of a consultation process.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The directive does not state how many ZEP holders are covered or how a holder proves that his or her permit was valid on 28 November 2025.
  • The directive does not state what happens to a ZEP holder whose permit lapsed before that date.

Where can protection be requested, and is this a direct application, border/in-country request, referral or other process?

Nothing is requested: the extension operates by directive, not by application. The Minister directed that existing ZEPs shall be deemed to remain valid for an additional eighteen months after the current expiry date, so the validity follows automatically from the directive. The directive names one channel for questions: any enquiry related to its content should be directed to the Department's Contact Centre at hacc@dha.gov.za. No office, form, fee or deadline is stated.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The directive states no application procedure, form, office, fee or deadline, and does not say what document a holder shows to prove the extension.

What happens after the request: registration, family handling, major support and rights where officially stated?

The directive sets out three protections for the period it covers. No holder of the exemption may be arrested, ordered to depart, detained for purposes of deportation or deported in terms of section 34 of the Immigration Act for any reason related to not having a valid exemption certificate. The holder may enter or depart from South Africa in terms of section 9 of the Immigration Act read with the Immigration Regulations, 2014, provided all other entry and departure requirements are met, save for not having a valid visa endorsed in the passport. And no ZEP holder should be required to produce a valid exemption certificate, visa or authorisation letter to remain in the Republic as contemplated in section 32(1) of the Immigration Act when applying for any category of visa for temporary sojourn as contemplated in section 10(2). The directive says nothing about work, study, banking or family members.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The directive states nothing about work, study, banking, healthcare or the position of family members during the extension.

Which competent authority, UN body or official assistance channel should the person use?

The competent authority is the Department of Home Affairs, acting through the Minister under section 31(2)(b) of the Immigration Act. The directive gives one official channel: any enquiry related to its content should be directed to the Department's Contact Centre at hacc@dha.gov.za. It was signed at Cape Town by Dr L.A. Schreiber, MP, Minister of Home Affairs, on 3 October 2025 and published in the Government Gazette on 7 October 2025. The directive names no UN body, no legal-aid channel and no fraud warning.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The directive names no UNHCR, legal-aid or civil-society channel and carries no fraud or scam warning.
  • The directive does not say which office a holder should approach in person.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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