Zim Community In South Africa Engages VFS Over ZEP Permit Delays

The Zimbabwean Community in South Africa (ZimCommunitySA) has held high-level discussions with VFS Global senior management to address persistent service delivery issues affecting Zimbabwean nationals, particularly in relation to the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) programme.

VFS Global is an official visa facilitation service provider that operates Visa Application Centres (VACs) on behalf of South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

In a statement released following the meeting on 29 July 2025, ZimCommunitySA outlined several isssues raised with VFS, including the ongoing problem of outcomes being marked as “collected” on the system even when applicants have not received them.

VFS explained that outcomes are emailed to the addresses used during application, but are only retained in the system for 60 days. Applicants were urged to follow up directly with their agents or internet cafés that assisted them during the process.

According to ZimCommunitySA, to date, around 62,000 ZEP waivers have been issued, yet only 19,000 have been downloaded. An estimated 30,000 applicants have still not received their outcomes.

VFS has committed to developing a three-option solution to resolve the matter and will provide further updates in the coming weeks.

Concerns about banking payments not reflecting were also discussed. In response, VFS pledged to share a dedicated email address for reporting such cases and to conduct an audit of all unallocated payments made from January 2024 to date.

Applicants are encouraged to adopt online payment methods going forward, to reduce errors such as overpayments and incorrect reference numbers.

ZimCommunitySA plans to release an online form to help centralise and track unresolved cases, and urged applicants to contact the VFS call centre directly on +27 (0)12 425 3017 with specific queries.

Despite the issuance of Circular 7, which granted a general waiver to many ZEP applicants, reports persist of people still being asked to submit separate waiver applications.

ZimCommunitySA, in collaboration with the African Diaspora Forum (ADF), said that they will follow up with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) on this inconsistency. They will also press the DHA over the issue of incorrect waiver letters being sent to applicants.

Another major point of concern involves roughly 10,000 waiver applications submitted in 2023 that remain unresolved. VFS pledged to provide guidance on how these outstanding cases will be handled in conjunction with the DHA.

Currently, only 5,000 Zimbabweans have applied for exemption permits, despite a total of 90,000 applications having been submitted overall. Of these, 71,000 have been finalised, while 20,000 relate to visa or other permit applications.

It is estimated that up to 80,000 eligible Zimbabwean nationals have yet to apply, and ZimCommunitySA strongly urged them to do so without further delay.

Other issues on the agenda included the lack of clarity surrounding study permits for children whose parents’ ZEP applications are still pending, and the inconsistent application of the requirement for Zimbabwean police clearance.

The organisation said that VFS has committed to providing a formal response on the study permit matter and to ensuring uniform requirements across all their offices.

ZimCommunitySA reiterated its commitment to working with VFS, DHA, and other advocacy bodies to ensure that Zimbabweans in South Africa are treated fairly and efficiently during this crucial permit transition period.