Nqobizwe Thebe
The South African Minister of Home Affairs, Dr L.A. Schreiber has officially extended the validity of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) until 28 May 2027.
The announcement was made through the Minister’s Immigration Directive, published in the Government Gazette on 7 October 2025.
The directive extends the validity of ZEPs for an additional eighteen onths beyond the previous expiry date of 28 November 2025. Dr Schreiber stated that this decision serves as an interim measure while the newly appointed Immigration Advisory Board (IAB), which began its work on 1 April 2025, deliberates on a long-term solution.
According to the gazette notice, the board has met on several occasions and will include the key takeholders in its consultation process. “Pending the conclusion of consultations, I directed that existing ZEPs shall be deemed to remain valid for an additional eighteen months,” the Minister’s notice confirms.
Accompanying the extension are crucial protections for the holders of these permits. In a detailed addendum, the directive explicitly shields ZEP holders from certain enforcement actions under the Immigration Act. It states that “no holder of the exemption may be arrested, ordered to depart or be detained for purposes of deportation or deported in terms of the Immigration Act for any reason related to him or her not having any valid exemption certificate.”
This provision offers a significant layer of security against deportation proceedings for the duration of the exemption’s validity.
Furthermore, the directive clarifies the rights of ZEP holders to travel. It confirms that a holder “may be allowed to enter into or depart from the Republic of South Africa in terms of the Immigration Act, read together with the Immigration Regulations, 2014, provided that he or she complies with all other requirements for entry into and departure from the Republic, save for the reason of not having a valid visa endorsed in his or her passport.”
This facilitates international travel for permit holders without the need for a visa stamp. Additionally, the directive stipulates that ZEP holders applying for other categories of temporary visas within South Africa will not be required to produce a valid exemption certificate, visa, or authorisation letter to remain in the country as normally required by the law.
This extension provides legal certainty and relief to the ZEP community, allowing holders to continue living, working, and studying in South Africa until the end of May 2027 while the government, through the IAB, works on a permanent resolution.
