An urgent meeting to discuss the documentation of Zimbabweans living in South Africa has been planned for this week, Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said on Sunday.
He said details of the meeting with representatives of Zimbabwean nationals living in SA would be released in due course.
“The meeting will be held this week, since the announcement by the Cabinet to document Zimbabweans living SA, there had been a great deal of distortion and misinformation particularly from NGO's and ‘so-called’ immigration expert, aimed at sowing confusion among Zimbabweans in the country,” he said.
He said the suggestion that Zimbabweans would have to return en masses to Zimbabwe to acquire the document was “far from the truth”.
He explained that there was an agreement between Pretoria and Harare that Zimbabweans need to approach the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria or consulates in Johannesburg and Cape Town which will profile their detail to enable them to be document in South Africa.
Cabinet announced on Thursday, that a special dispensation for Zimbabweans has been withdrawn.
The special dispensation implemented in April last year, allowed Zimbabweans crossing into South Africa the right to live, work, attend education facilities and access basic health care for a period of 6 months.
The special dispensation would come to an end on December 31.
NGO's advocating for refugees said the decision to withdrew the special dispensation would result in mass deportation for those who do not have the means to gain legal permit. - Sapa