Zimbabwe’s registrar-general said the country is unlikely to meet South Africa’s deadline to provide documents to hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans outside its borders without official papers.

The International Organisation for Migration said it may have to cater for a mass-deportation of Zimbabweans.

The year-end deadline has been looming as Home Affairs offices have been inundated with people applying to regularise their stay in South Africa.

Zimbabwean Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede said around 30,000 passports have been sent to South Africa so far, but only 7,500 Zimbabweans have got their hands on them. That’s a fraction of the 1.5 million believed to be living in South Africa.

Mudede said the deadline is going to be hard to meet.

He said the 40 or so of his officials sent to South Africa to provide IDs and passports are failing to cope with demand.

Reports in Zimbabwe say aid agencies are preparing for a mass influx of deportees come December the 31st.

By Staff reporter and agencies