Johannesburg - ATM leader Vuyo Zungula has slammed the Helen Suzman Foundation following its successful challenge of the Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi's decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permits (ZEP).
The more than 178 000 holders of ZEPs, which were due to expire on Friday, were given a temporary lifeline by the Pretoria High Court.
Judges ruled that the existing ZEPs would be deemed to remain valid for another year.
A Full Bench (three judges) sent the matter back to the Minister of Home Affairs for reconsideration during this time, ‘’following a fair process that complies with the requirements’’.
The foundation and other civil society groups, such as the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, took issue with Motsoaledi’s 2021 announcement that the special permit, which was introduced more than a decade ago, would be terminated.
On Wednesday, the High Court, Pretoria, ruled in favour of civil society when it declared the termination of the permits ‘’unconstitutional and invalid’’.
The court also found, among other things, that proper public consultation did not take place before the decision was made.
The court also granted the Zimbabwe Immigration Federation — another organisation that has challenged the move — an interim interdict preventing ZEP holders from being arrested or deported for now.
Speaking during an interview on Newzroom Afrika, Zungula said the country was being held to ransom by unpatriotic civil society movements. He said this was a clear indication that the ANC had failed to govern.
‘’This is a clear indication that the ANC has failed to govern. The ANC has continuously failed to ensure law and order in our country and to govern in the best interests of South Africans. It cannot be that you are going to have a ZEP issue with continuous extensions.’’
‘’We can have NGOs, such as the Helen Suzman Foundation, advancing cases and issues that are not in the interests of SA citizens. This means we are going to have NGOs that are insensitive to the plights and sufferings of SA citizens,’’ he said.
Zungula said there are many permits that were given to other citizens of other countries, saying the situation in these countries has changed, and these permits need to be reviewed.
‘’There are many other permits that were given to other citizens of other countries, but the circumstances have changed in these countries.’’
‘’South Africa has a 43% unemployment rate, and close to 70% of the people are out of work. Therefore, that on its own requires that whatever decisions are taken, they are taken in the best interests of those citizens who are unemployed, living in poverty, and not enjoying the fruits of the economy of their own country.’’
‘’The government is failing to properly manage a situation, and that creates the wrong perception that South Africans hate people from other countries,’’ he said.
The Star