Gauteng court rejects Operation Dudula‘s ZEPs case. Operation Dudula is a South African anti-immigration movement and vigilante group whose stated aims are to fight illegal immigration and illicit drug dealers and other criminals in South Africa. Operation Dudula ‘s effort to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) against the non-extension of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits was rejected by the South African High Court (ZEPs).
HSF is a human rights organisation that filed a case with the High Court Division in Gauteng, South Africa, last year to overturn the cancellation of ZEPs on the grounds that the decision was unlawful and unreasonable. This case will be heard on April 11 to 14 this year, CITE reported.
The All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa (ATDFASA) with Operation Dudula applied to intervene in the ZEPs before the case hearing in April. However, on February 10, 2023, the court dismissed the application made by Operational Dudula for lacking merit and that it is based on speculation.
The court granted the application by All Truck Drivers Forum and Allied South Africa. The South African government gave ZEP holders a 12-month grace period to apply for another type of permit or leave the country by June 2023. ZEPs cover around 178 000 Zimbabweans.