Several streets will be affected by a march by Zimbabweans on their embassy in Tshwane on Tuesday as they call for a reduction in the R1,400 increase in passport fees.
The Tshwane metro police department said marchers are due to gather from 10am at an open space on the corner of Madiba and Stanza Bopape streets.
From the gathering point they will join Stanza Bopape Street and turn left onto East Avenue, then right onto Merton Avenue and proceed on it until they reach the Embassy of Zimbabwe before Eastwood Street.
They are expected to disperse from the embassy at 1pm.
Motorists are advised to use alternative routes such as Pretorius Street, Francis Baard Street, Park Street, Edmond Street and Eastwood Street.
Metro police and South African Police Service officers will be deployed to monitor the march and all affected streets.
A petition launched on July 30 asking for a reprieve from the price hike, from $170 (R3,141) to $250 (about R4,620), has so far garnered nearly 1,300 signatories.
It states: "As the Zimbabwe community living in South Africa we are feeling the weight of the exorbitant fee our home government is charging for passports. A massive sum of $250 per passport is being extorted from us.
"This fee is far beyond what many Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa can afford, considering the average earnings of our community.
"It's an overwhelming burden that prevents us from securing our legal documents which are part and parcel of our fundamental human rights.
"We call on the Zimbabwean government to reassess the fees and reduce them to a fair amount."
An ordinary travel passport in Zimbabwe collected after seven days is pegged at $150 (R2,772) and a $20 (R370) application fee, $100 (R1,848) less than the amount charged in South Africa, according to the NewZimbabwe.com publication.
TimesLIVE
Zimbabweans to march on embassy in Tshwane over passport price hike: Here’s why and where
Image: 123RF/TAIGA
Several streets will be affected by a march by Zimbabweans on their embassy in Tshwane on Tuesday as they call for a reduction in the R1,400 increase in passport fees.
The Tshwane metro police department said marchers are due to gather from 10am at an open space on the corner of Madiba and Stanza Bopape streets.
From the gathering point they will join Stanza Bopape Street and turn left onto East Avenue, then right onto Merton Avenue and proceed on it until they reach the Embassy of Zimbabwe before Eastwood Street.
They are expected to disperse from the embassy at 1pm.
Motorists are advised to use alternative routes such as Pretorius Street, Francis Baard Street, Park Street, Edmond Street and Eastwood Street.
Metro police and South African Police Service officers will be deployed to monitor the march and all affected streets.
A petition launched on July 30 asking for a reprieve from the price hike, from $170 (R3,141) to $250 (about R4,620), has so far garnered nearly 1,300 signatories.
It states: "As the Zimbabwe community living in South Africa we are feeling the weight of the exorbitant fee our home government is charging for passports. A massive sum of $250 per passport is being extorted from us.
"This fee is far beyond what many Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa can afford, considering the average earnings of our community.
"It's an overwhelming burden that prevents us from securing our legal documents which are part and parcel of our fundamental human rights.
"We call on the Zimbabwean government to reassess the fees and reduce them to a fair amount."
An ordinary travel passport in Zimbabwe collected after seven days is pegged at $150 (R2,772) and a $20 (R370) application fee, $100 (R1,848) less than the amount charged in South Africa, according to the NewZimbabwe.com publication.
TimesLIVE
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