Zimbabweans in SA get 90 day grace period

South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has announced that Zimbabweans who have applied for the new dispensation permit may go home and return to South Africa over the festive season. Speaking to Udo Carelse, of Talk Radio 702 today 17 December 2014, Gigaba said Zimbabweans who’ve already applied for the new dispensation permit will be allowed to enter and exit South Africa while waiting for applications to be approved. Gigaba announced that he is giving Zimbabweans a 90 days grace period from 31 December 2014. More than 60 percent of the 250,000 Zimbabweans currently working here on a dispensation permit have already applied. The new document will be valid for the next two years. Zimbabweans who were in South Africa illegally were granted an opportunity in 2009 to legalise their stay via the permit. There are 11 visa facilitation centres in the country.