Prospective applicants interviewed by this newspaper expressed their disappointment at the rejections, saying the move was an affront to their economic rights. I was turned away on the grounds that my permit was handwritten, which I believe was unfair as that is beyond my control, said Miriam Dube, a teacher in Braamfontein.
Political analyst Colin Ncube said, That is a violation of economic rights. I believe everyone paying taxes in the country has a right to participation in the economy. Home Affairs director general, Mkhuseli Apleni said he was aware of banks turning some applicants away, and promised to communicate with the banks to ensure they were advised on the new permits so that they did not reject Zimbabwean applicants for new accounts.
Zimbabwe Exiles Forum director, Gabriel Shumba, who raised concern at the rejections, confirmed civil society organizations had met Apleni, who pledged to communicate with the banks. Last September, South Africa said it would resume deportations of Zimbabweans living illegally in the country. It pledged to issue free permits to Zimbabweans that legalized their stay before the Decmber 31 deadline last year.
The announcement came as a sigh of relief to Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa who had struggled to open accounts because they either had no documents or could not afford permits.
Post published in: News