Holders of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits Worried Over Getting New South African Visas Despite Extension of Application DeadlineDavison Mudzingwa Johannesburg, South Africa - Zimbabweans living in South Africa under the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) say they are still worried about the extended deadline for them to return home. Pretoria announced last week that it had extended the deadline to June 2023 for nearly 180,000 Zimbabweans to legalize their stay in that country through other mainstream work permits. Deliverance Zambuko is one of the many Zimbabweans unsure about their future in South Africa. With two children attending school in the country, she says the decision by South African authorities is not good for her children. “Where am I going to start with kids? My children started school here. I have a grade 9 child and I came here when he was one year eight months. So, it has been very stressful.” According to the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, at least 300 000 school children will be affected as their parents would be forced to return to Zimbabwe. Precious Mtandwa has lived in South Africa for 16 years. She works in Johannesburg's Randburg area and does not qualify for alternative visa under the critical skills category. She, too, has a child attending school in South Africa. She says starting a new life in Zimbabwe will be tough. “The life of my child will be also a mess. At home we will have to start afresh as if I am giving birth to him. The birth certificate and all that stuff, it will be a terrible mess for my child.” Vusumuzi Sibanda is the executive chairman of the African Diaspora Forum, an organization that represents foreign nationals in South Africa. He says Pretoria's position is a violation of human rights. “There is serious human rights law that has been violated and the mere fact that the 178 000 people have been living in South Africa since 2009 and to say the same people are upsetting the South African economy – that reasoning is faulty on its own. This is not like a new influx. If you look at the unemployment statistics, they did not change from 2009 when these people were already in the country.” While some Zimbabweans are already preparing to return home due to an uncertain future, for Zambuko, this is not a prospect she is considering. “At home things are not good. Things are very bad. I think for those who are there, its better but for us who have been here for a very long time, since 2008 it’s a very long time, our life is here.” Precious Mtandwa says Pretoria should give her and other Zimbabweans permanent residence because they have been in South Africa for many years. “The only thing I am begging the South African government is to renew our permits or to give us permanent residence as we have years to be capable of being permanent residents.” South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said his government will not back down from the new deadline extension. “Well, I think you have seen our media statement. We clearly said there will never be any other extension. If anybody doesn’t want to take advantage of this extension, after June  then that’s the end of the exemption permit.” The Helen Suzman Foundation and the Zimbabwean Immigration Federation are challenging in courts the decision to discontinue the permits. The home affairs ministry is opposing the application. But Sibanda is optimistic the applicants will win. “The reason why the law, for example says that a person that has resided for five years can apply for permanent residence is that a person who stays in a country for about five years is generally regarded to have acquired the status of being permanent in that country and to have broken ties with the country they ordinarily come from. Many Zimbabweans say they fear returning home because they will be exposed to persecution. Some say they were asylum seekers before they became permit holders and sending them back to Zimbabwe will be a violation of South African law.