10/06/2025
Foreigners Score Major Win in SA: Supreme Court blocks Home Affairs Minister from deporting 200,000 Zimbabweans with ZEP permits
In a significant victory for nearly 200,000 Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed with costs the Department of Home Affairs’ attempt to overturn an interim interdict protecting them from arrest and deportation. The ruling, delivered on Friday, ensures that the interdict remains in place pending further court proceedings initiated by the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation.
The Federation is challenging the authority of the Minister of Home Affairs to terminate the ZEP regime, arguing that such a decision rests solely with Parliament. The special permit dispensation, in effect since 2009, has allowed approximately 180,000 Zimbabwean nationals to live and work in South Africa.
Vindren Magadzire, director of the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation, explained that his organisation's case centres on the termination of the ZEP programme by the Minister of Home Affairs back in 2021, when then home affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced the termination of the ZEP. "The programme allowed approximately 180,000 Zimbabweans to live and work in South Africa. In 2021, the minister of home affairs announced plans to terminate the ZEP permits, sparking legal actions from the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation," Magadzire told IOL in an interview.
Magadzire further elaborated on the Federation's motivation for taking legal action, stating, "The Zimbabwe Immigration Federation was inspired to go through courts due to the South African minister of home affairs’ decision to terminate the permits. The decision would have significant implications for approximately 180,000 Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa under the ZEP permit program."