Challenges faced by Zimbabweans – ZEP Permit Holders and other immigrants in general.
The political and socio-economic challenges of Zimbabwe have seen many Zimbabweans migrate to other countries. It has been argued that in most cases Zimbabweans migrate for political and socio-economic reasons. South Africa is one of the countries in Africa which has a better economic system and has lesser social problems as compared to other countries in Africa. Zimbabwean migrants face more social challenges as compared to any other migrants in South Africa as they have to deal with discrimination at work and xenophobia within the communities in which they reside.
South Africa has more immigrants than any other country in Africa. The population of immigrants is also very diverse, with just about every country in the world represented among South African immigrants
Migration has been seen as an element that has been moving towards South Africa since the late 1880s, this movement has been constituted by the opportunities that South Africa has presented in terms of employment in sectors such as mining and farming. These opportunities show that Zimbabwean migrants have been coming to South Africa for the past 100 years, research has revealed.
Many migrants, refugees, and asylum-seeking women and girls have been exposed to various forms of challenges that go unreported. Due consideration should be given to their needs and circumstances and gender-responsive measures should be adopted to prevent discrimination, violence, harassment, trafficking, and other forms of exploitation and abuse. Limited access to redress means that some get trapped in situations of forced labor and trafficking. Most migrants are being pushed out of Zimbabwe by the current socio-economic situation and pulled into South Africa
There is a need to advocate at the national and international levels for more just, humane immigration practices that take into account the needs of migrant workers and ensure their rights are respected
These are some of the challenges ZEP Permit Holders face in South Arica;
I) Some banks are refusing to replace lost bank cards or allow ZEP holders to open a bank account
ii) Some traffic departments are refusing to renew driver’s licenses and the vehicle disc license.
iii) Most children of ZEP holders are not going to school
iv) There are some ZEP students who passed matric with flying colors, they can’t continue with their studies
v) Most companies are terminating ZEP holders’ employment contracts without notice or following the proper procedure.
There is a lot of panic to the ZEP holders who own houses and they are still paying the mortgage, what will happen if they are denied the visa? They will be forced to sell their houses?
st Zimbabwean are ill-treated, degraded, tortured, humiliated, and dehumanized, this has devastating psychological effects. It would be advisable for the South African government to develop a policy that would protect these migrants from abuse by citizens of this country. The South African government should ensure that migrants are allowed easy access to basic public services such as clinics, schools, proper housing, proper sanitation, etc. With that in mind when looking at the policy implications, one could state that South Africa has created a flow of different migrants, but has not yet developed an encompassing policy to properly address this flow. The South African legislation does not cover the influx of migrants and only has two instruments of law that deal directly with immigration. These laws are namely the Immigration Act of 2002 and the Refugee Act of 1998 and should develop one that covers such a flow.
