Pretoria - The process of issuing Zimbabweans with relevant South African permits for business, study and work will commerce on 20 September, Home Affairs announced on Friday.
The permits will be issued through all Home Affairs offices in all nine provinces, the department's Director General, Mkhuseli Apleni, told a media briefing.
"The work, study and business permits that will be issued to all qualifying Zimbabwean nationals through this process will be available free of charge."
This comes after the department announced all Zimbabwean immigrants must apply for relevant documents and register their status in the country as the special dispensation allowing Zimbabweans crossing into South Africa the right to live, work, attend education facilities and access basic health care for a period of six months was coming to an end.
This special dispensation is to come to an end on 31 December.
Apleni said about 213 officials will be deployed at both headquarters and provinces, where dedicated queues have been established to facilitate the process. A track and trace system will also be in place to ensure applicants are informed via sms of the status of their application.
There are also plans to introduce a call centre, said Apleni, who was confident that Zimbabwean nationals would take full advantage of the opportunity to regulate their stay.
Zimbabweans will have to approach their embassies or consulates for the documents.
"No one, not even those with fraudulent documentation will be prosecuted or deported ...all we want is Zimbabweans to acquire the correct documentation in line with South Africa's immigration laws," he explained.
Since the announcement of the end of the special dispensation, non-governmental organistations have raised concerns about the process, saying it could lead to massive deportation of "vulnerable" Zimbabweans.
There are no official figures for the number of Zimbabweans in South Africa, but the International Organisation for Migration estimates that it is between 1.5 and 2 million.
For more information about the process email: Zimbabwe.enquiries@dha.gov.za.
