WATCH | Home affairs in court applying for leave to appeal ZEP ruling

The department of home affairs is on Monday seeking to challenge a court finding that the termination of government’s Zimbabwean exemption permit (ZEP) regime is unlawful.

A full bench of the Pretoria high court in June criticised the department and its minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, for not following proper procedure in terminating the regime, which allows more than 178,000 Zimbabweans to stay and work in South Africa. It extended the regime by 12 months to allow the minister to follow a fair process to end it.

Judges Colleen Collis, Mandlenkosi Motha and Gcina Malindi ruled the minister failed to notify or consult affected people properly, failed to consider children’s rights and did not present facts to back his claims. He was ordered to reconsider the matter  using a fair process. The department was ordered to pay costs.

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