Home Affairs to send out digital waiver applications for ZEP holders

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says this is the first step towards the digital transformation by the department.

In the first phase of the rollout process, the outcome of waiver applications for holders of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs) will be sent digitally, effective immediately.

Over time, the digital-first approach will be extended to other applicants in the visa and permit regime.

This means that applicants will no longer be required to visit a Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) branch to collect physical, paper-based copies of the waiver letters.

Schreiber says the digital letters can be used to submit a mainstream visa application going forward.

"While this step on its own may be a small one, it is still meaningful as part of our larger quest to clamp down on corruption and to enhance efficiency of services by transforming Home Affairs into a digital-first Department. This simple embrace of a digital-first approach to processing waivers has also significantly accelerated our work to clear the permitting backlog that dates back a decade, which started out at over 306 000 unprocessed applications.

"Through this change, we have been able to effectively process 60 582 outstanding ZEP waiver applications, many of which date back to 2022. Another 22 529 ZEP waiver applications are set to be processed soon, further reducing the backlog and freeing up valuable resources in a department that has been financially gutted to the point of only having 40% of the staff resources. This step illustrates our absolute determination to use technology to do more with the little we have."

Schreiber added that applicants who prefer to collect hard copies of ZEP waiver letters at branches, will still be able to do so.

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