South Africa's department of Home Affairs has indicated that the current moratorium on Zimbabwean deportations has not yet been lifted, insisting that the condemned practice of mass deportations will not happen.
The forced removals were set to begin when the Zimbabwe Documentation Project (ZDP) ended, and that deadline was meant to be July 31st. Over the weekend, Zimbabwean nationals were reportedly on the verge of panic amid concerns that deportations would resume first thing on Monday.

But on Monday afternoon, Home Affairs announced that a month-long grace period would be granted to give successful applicants under the ZDP to collect their paperwork. After this, anyone without the proper documentation will be deported.
"Zimbabweans will be treated like any other nationality who are deported when found without proper documentation," head of the Zimbabwe documentation project, Jacob Mamabolo, after confirming that adjudication of all applications from Zimbabweans wishing to legalise their stay in South Africa had been finalised.
This new extension on the moratorium has come as a relief to many Zimbabweans, especially as the Home Affairs department is yet to finish issuing permits. More than 275 000 Zim nationals applied for permits under the ZDP, but Home Affairs has only just finished finalising the applications.
Braam Hanekom from the refugee rights group PASSOP told SW Radio Africa on Tuesday that Monday's announcement by Home Affairs is welcome. But he explained that an official extension has not been formally announced.
"The department is doing all it can to avoid using the word 'extend', and it appears politically loaded. We don't know why they are doing this, but they could possibly be avoiding this to possibly try and quietly lift the moratorium," Hanekom said.
Estimates put the number of Zim nationals in South Africa at close to two million, meaning hundreds of thousands of people now face possible deportation. Fear has been high that the South African police would return to its practice of rounding up foreigners for mass detention and deportation, as part of a rumoured 'clean up' operation. There are also unconfirmed rumours that trucks are already waiting at the Musina border post to start deportations.
The deportation threat meanwhile has seen an increased number of Zimbabweans heading to the Marabastad refugee reception centre in Pretoria, to register as asylum seekers. Over the weekend, Zim nationals queued overnight trying to secure their place in line to register their status in order to avoid deportations.
The congestion at the refugee reception centre has also led to at least two incidents of violence, with a number of people being injured in stampedes there. The Home Affairs department has also been urged to investigate further, after two people were said to have died there last week.

By SW radio