An agreement allowing Zimbabwean migrants to regularise their stay in South Africa without fear of deportation is up for review, with the two countries agreeing to look at whether it should be amended.

Commonly known as “the special dispensation”, the agreement was effected in April last year and was scheduled to last for a year.

It was meant to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis, especially the arrival of scores of economic migrants in SA who did not qualify for refugee status.

Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma yesterday said the agreement would now be reviewed.

“We agreed that our officials will sit together and advise on how to deal with it,” she told journalists at the end of a bilateral meeting with Zimbabwe’s home affairs ministers Kembo Mohadi and Gile Mutsekwa.

Also on the agenda was SA’s ban of single-sheet travel documents common among neighbouring countries. SA stopped accepting the certificates earlier this month, arguing that they were a security risk and were no longer compliant with its movement control system introduced in time for the Soccer World Cup.

Through the new system, SA’s ports of entry are able to scan and read the security features of all international passports within seconds.

However, yesterday Zimbabwe – which was battling a long backlog for passport applications – won a concession allowing SA to recognise a new category of travel document that will be in booklet form. “As long as it’s machine readable and is compliant with our system, there is no problem,” said Ms Dlamini-Zuma.

Mr Mutsekwa said the document would be introduced “as soon as possible”. He said it was not a new format but something that would be found in Zimbabwe’s archives.

Yesterday’s meeting followed a similar one held with authorities in Lesotho last week. More than a million Zimbabweans were living in SA where they were also the biggest diaspora community, he said.

A hatred of foreigners could overshadow the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup once the final whistle of the tournament is blown, if reports are anything to go by. For the second time, world attention could be focused on Africa’s biggest economy for all of the wrong reasons.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the 2010 FIFA World Cup has brought only excitement, revenue and publicity to South Africa. It is also not unreasonable to believe that the exposure Bafana Bafana players are enjoying ahead of a busy transfer window in Europe next month is a crucial step in their careers.

However, all is not well on the other side of the coin. A considerable chunk of the foreign population here in South Africa has been spending sleepless nights since the tournament kicked off. Local media and politicians have reportedly claimed the riots could happen again and past mistakes be repeated. The argument is that the invaders, foreigners in this case, have grabbed all the jobs, business opportunities and everything claimable from the natives, things the locals want back.

There is an almost tangible fear that xenophobic fever is going to rear its ugly head after the tournament’s curtains are lowered. People are terrified and many have no idea what to do or where to go.

The Mozambicans who own salons and bars in Witbank, a town east of Johannesburg, believe they have no option but to flee: “We shall have to rush home and wait for the situation to calm down after the tournament. We wanted to stay, but are definitely scared for our lives,” said Henrietta Joan, a roadside salon owner. She also says they have been threatened and told to quit before the tournament’s final ninety minutes are played or else risk their lives.

Most foreigners living in South Africa are Burundian and Mozambican. In Johannesburg, the situation was tense ahead of July 11. “For us, we hope those riots don’t happen again. Because we are all just looking for some money to cater for our families back home and here,” Nzikobanyanka Adam shared.

In May 2008, South African President Jacob Zuma slammed riots in connection to xenophobia after bloody fighting left many dead and thousands injured. The foreigners are hoping the president’s comments have softened the hearts of the willing-to-riot natives after the World Cup.

“We hope president Zuma helps us and provides enough security so that we are safe,” said Kalwira Jacob, a Congolese man who has been living and working in Johannesburg for the last 10 years.

Reports suggest that between 2000 and March 2008 an average of 67 people died in what were branded as xenophobic attacks. While in May 2008 a series of riots left 62 people dead, 21 of those killed were South African citizens.

(Source)