The crowd outside the Home Affairs Office in Commissioner Street Home in central Johannesburg shows no sign of abating. Despite the onset of the wet season, which sees heavy rain almost daily, hundreds of Zimbabweans gather for their daily ritual wait. Some are checking on the progress of their applications for work or study permits: others, reportedly up to 800 a day nationally, are lining up for the first time to register.
As the 31 December deadline approaches for Zimbabwean nationals to register in South Africa it is becoming apparent that, as well intentioned as this project might appear, there are some serious flaws.
Last week the Department of Home Affairs announced it had received 123,000 applications for regularisation and had processed around 40,000. It also announced that, although there was to be no extension of the deadline, a receipt showing registration for the process would suffice to enable people to stay in the country past the deadline.
There are an estimated 1.2 to 1.5 million Zimbabweans living in South Africa. While some of these people already have work permits, and others are included in special categories for which the current process does not apply (there were 145,000 Zimbabwean applicants for asylum last year who do not come under the process), there is nevertheless clearly something seriously wrong with the arithmetic.
Put simply, up to 1 million people do not seem to be accounted for. Government has repeatedly stated that those without valid documents after 31 March will be deported. There is fear that a humanitarian crisis looms.
Closer investigation of the implementation of the Zimbabwean Documentation Project reveals a process hastily put together without adequate prior consultation or planning. It is clear now that the project is aimed at people in formal employment and study — these have formed the majority of the applicants so far and many would have had passports already or, if not, could afford the costs to obtain one. South Africa stands to benefit by these mostly skilled people remaining in the country.
There was recognition too that many Zimbabweans were living with false identities and an amnesty was declared. It is unclear how many people have availed themselves of this.
But there are many groups of Zimbabweans who do not fall into these neat categories. Unaccompanied minors (young people under 18 who are not accompanied by an adult guardian and who have no such person in South Africa), many of whom