03 September 2022
Zim GBC News
Innocent. S. Ncube
Amid tensions emanating from Limpopo’s MEC for health and the push by the vigilante group Dudula, ZEP permit holders have been granted a reprieve.
Last week Dr. Phophi Ramathuba was caught off side lashing out at a Zimbabwean patient admitted in a hospital in Limpopo region. She was complaining of Zimbabwean migrants receiving free treatment in her province of governance by Zimbabweans who crossed into South Africa illegally, thus she said, overwhelmed the budget allocation by her central government to run the health sector in the province.
Dr. Ramathuba’s rants received mixed reactions as some sectors supported her while some said she went way overboard and disregarded her oath as a medical doctor.
The MEC’s actions ignited the vigilante group Operation Dudula into a driving gear. The group has stepped up its fight against foreign nationals employed in South Africa. Of late the group has staged demonstrations at the famous Dragon City and China City malls that house Chinese business shops and employ mostly foreign nationals from afar field as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Most of these imigrants do not possess prerequisite documents to be in that country. The latest fissures by Operation Dudula members were witnessed at Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane where the group allegedly prevented migrant patients and employees from entering the hospital.
A video of an unseen Dudula member is circulating on social media where the member is telling the patients that they will not be attended to in that hospital anymore.
While Dr. Ramathuba is bemoaning flooding of undocumented patients into South African hospitals under her jurisdiction, that negatively impacts on budget allocations, Operation Dudula claims that most foreign nationals particularly from Zimbabwe take up jobs that should be benefiting South African nationals.
It is the reason why members of the vigilante group have been going about business premises threatening employers whom they claim employ undocumented foreigners.
While Operation Dudula is busy fighting foreign nationals over what they claim to be the cause of unemployment in South Africa, South African Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi has extended Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders for a further six months.
The permits have been extended before.
This comes after a committee appointed by the department of Home affairs, the Departmental Advisory Committee (DAC) recommend the extension to Motsoaledi. The permits were due to expire on the 31st of December 2022.
The DAC has met on several occasions to assess visa applications lodged by affected Zimbabwean nationals.
The ZEP holders had been given ample time to apply and regularise their stay in South Africa or pack their bags and leave by the end of the current year.
Over the past years economic hardships have forced Zimbabweans to trek in their droves into South Africa seeking a better life.
It is unfortunate that those Zimbabweans who are unable to find regular employment have found themselves in the wrong side of the law, allegedly engaging in criminal activities.
This is what has angered vigilante groups such as Operation Dudula.
While the extension of the permits might come as a relief, recommendations by the DAC state that a few Zimbabweans had applied for visas or work permits to remain in that country.
Because of the few applications, it would seem those Zimbabwean exemption permit holders had given up hope and were heading home, or alternatively had opted to remain in South Africa illegally just like over 2 million of their fellow countrymen who are said to reside in South Africa undocumented.
Zim GBC News