It was announced yesterday (Monday) by South Africa Home Affairs minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, that Zimbabwe citizens can now travel to South Africa and obtain a free 90-day visitor’s permit and apply to do casual work during their stay. The new regulations came into effect May 1, but Mapisa-Nqakula acknowledged bureaucratic hurdles could slow implementation.
South African officials have been overwhelmed by Zimbabweans, who apply for asylum at a rate of more than 8,000 a day, and they believe many will now opt for the visitor’s permit. Most asylum seekers are denied because South African officials believe most Zimbabweans are not fleeing out of fear or persecution, but to find work as their economy collapses.
This decision is going to cause a lot of controversy, I am sure of that. Not too long ago, we had a serious problem of xenophobia in South Africa with a driving reason behind it being that there are too many foreigners in South Africa who are taking jobs away from the South Africans. Now with this ruling, there will be even more Zimbabweans coming into South Africa. It will not surprise me at all if we see another wave of xenophobia attacks caused by this visa ruling. Watch this space.
How stupid can you be to allow this to happen. At the moment most South Africans are losing their jobs left right and centre.Know you want the Zim’s to come and stay for 90 day period. Most will not return if not all and then…. whats going to happen.
Why must we suffer for the lack of knowledge of the Zim president.
This does not make sense! firstly there are not enough houses and jobs for the south african in south africa and now they invite more people to come! where are they going to stay? what jobs are they going to get? Zuma is just going to work into problems on his first day in office
Absolutly, and they wanna know why their are 6 million South Africans around the world who have left.
Cant blame them can you.
Reminds me of the movie.
Dum Dummer DUMMEST.
I do not get what you are fussing about! As a Zimbabwean myself this is great news and it is long overdue. People from Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana do not need a visa to enter South Africa. Aren’t we all part of SADC? Just because our own country was messed up it does not mean we should be treated differently from the rest.
i wonder who made this decision? it must be someone higher than the minister of home affairs. think of the administrative headache this will cause to home affairs when they are already the most inefficient government department. they are just piling on more work on themselves that they can not handle. if home affairs was efficient then this would not be a problem
I do not see why people should start crying now. Nobody has used the facility now….People in Zim do not even have transport money to come to South Africa and they also have their reservations. Its not like everyone wants to come to South Africa…..you will be surprised the number won’t be that much of those that immigrate under that law
i wana tnx who eva came up with this initiative,if s.africans dnt need a visa to enter zim,y zims should? This was long overdue
i think this is a great idea and long over due as many others have commented on. as a member of sadc why should we as zimbabweans need a visa to enter SA when they dont need one to come to zim? and as the SA government is such big buddies with the zim government, why not? mates!
I think we need to preach a word of being open minded to the fellow people from Mzansi, life is nothing but a wheel, we have come a long way, together,we helped you get the freedom that we deserved, now that Zim has problems, just bear in mind we need each other, in Ndebele thay say Izandla ziyagezana, meaning the other hand washes the other, lets jsut forget where we come frm, afteral we are one
Definitely a step in the right direction. It is after all, a part of humanity, helping a neighbour in need. SA cannot use the excuse that there are a lot of problems to be solved first because if life were like that, noone would assist anyone else. Back when SA got assistance from other SADC countries, those countries had their fair share of problems and yet they assisted anyway.
The dicision is not cool with me becouse we already have a lot of Zimbabweans in uor country some of unskiled South Africa are unemployed but if you go to Joburg Central you only find Zimbabweans at those uskiled Jobs.our brothers & sisters ar not working out of 100% of Zimbabweas who are here 75% is is employed and sikhala ngoku ba unemployed.imisebenzi ithathwe nga ma Kwerekwere & the people some time they discrimate South Africans telling them they are foreigners.I thing govment should do some thing about it.Now im Durban from Jo burg becouse of these people.In Jozi they are more than us South Africans
this is not cool
if the south african government had made more effort in trying to help zim when the problems first started we wouldnt be in this situation. why should other african countries not need visas for SA but zimbabweans do in anycase? thats a load of nonsense man. you can always come to zim and try get a job? ah, and you wont need a visa to come either….!
I think that is not fair. To South Africans who are unemployed and to foreigners who work in this country too. I am married to a South African and am allowed to work, BUT I have to go to through the entire process of applying and udateing home affairs. I think that this is fair and I feel priviledge to be allowed this opportunity.
This allows Zimbabweans to come in and out and work casually. Three weeks ago I was hit by a truck. There is R12000 damage to my car and the Transport company in Polokwane, won’t pay. Well the owner won’t claim his insurance. Their driver is Zim, with no work permit. Of course insurance won’t pay. And now I’m stuck to deal with it. Everyone must be registered and enter the country equally.
Hey i`m a deetabr at vredefort free state can you please help me enter the nationals this year
JOBS NEED QUALIFIED PEOPLE IF YOU ARE QUALIFIED NO PROBLEM. IF YOU AREN’T QUALIFIED THERE’S A PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU ARE CHASING THE WIND.
ZIMBABWEANS ARE EMPLOYED BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE UNIQUE SKILL AND THIS SHOULD BE HELPING YOU SOUTH AFRICANS TO UPGRADE YOURSELVES BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT ONLY TAUGHT BLACKS TO COOK, WASH & PLOUGH AS THEY SAW NO POTENTIAL IN YOU. THIS IS AN EYE OPENNER THAT A BLACK PERSON CAN ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS.
STOP SITTING AND CRYING OVER THIS SIMPLE THING BE GLAD FOR THE CHAALLENGE AS IT OPENS YOUR EYES………
MABASA AKANAKA ANOTORWA NEVAKADZIDZA KWETE MAGOTSIKOTSI ANOSWERO TERERA KWAITO NEKUJAIVHA PAJIKA MAJIKA. UKASAFUNDA HAPANA CHAKO MAITI INDEPENDENCE ICHATI KUFUNDA KWAPERA HAMUSATI MUCHAGARA MUMA TANGWENA MUNYIKA MENYU ISU TICHIGARA KUSANDTON TODZOKERA ZIMBABWE TOGARA KUBORROWDALE TASHANDA MARI MUNO….
ITS TIME TO WAKE UP NOT TO SLEEP!!!
please help each other guys zim re suffering.