Home affairs takes small step forward with ZEP change

The home affairs department’s first step towards digital transformation will include a streamlined Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) waiver process.

The department said on Thursday that as part of a new digital-first system, applicants would receive their ZEP notices in PDF format via email. Applicants would no longer be required to visit a VFS branch to collect physical copies of the waiver letters.

The new rule was a first step towards digital transformation, the department said.

The letters could be used to submit a mainstream visa application, it said. This would be extended to other applicants in the visa and permit regime over time.

Home affairs minister Leon Schreiber said 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 [the 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.”

The department had been able to effectively process 60,582 outstanding ZEP waiver applications, many of which date back to 2022, Schreiber said.

“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 having only 40% of the staff resources. This step illustrates our absolute determination to use technology to do more with the little we have.” 

Schreiber said applicants who preferred to collect hard copies of ZEP waiver letters at branches would be able to do so.