“Voluntary” Repatriation: How South Africa’s ZEP Cancellation Violates Constitutional Rights
By Sacha Knox:
Inside Park Station (Image: From TripAdvisor)
At Park Station in central Johannesburg, South Africa, hundreds of Zimbabweans queue daily to board buses for "voluntary repatriation." The scene repeats itself: families with luggage, children in tow, waiting to leave the only home many have known for decades. Officials call it voluntary. The reality tells a different story.
The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) programme, which provided legal status to approximately 178,000 Zimbabweans, officially ended in June 2023. Despite a 12-month grace period for holders to apply for mainstream visas, the Department of Home Affairs has systematically rejected applications, leaving thousands in legal limbo. Now, with permits expired and no viable pathway to regularisat...