Student death ‘not our fault’

STUDY PERMIT: HOME AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT DISMISSES CLAIM IT FAILED TO RENEW VISA ON TIME

Nothing prevented him from registering since September 2021, says official.

The home affairs department condemned insinuations the death of a Zimbabwean PhD student from Wits University could be “laid at its door”, when he allegedly killed himself after failing to register for the academic year because his permit had expired.

Weekend reports suggested that Philip Chuma, a PhD student at the school of education, could not register for the 2022 academic year after his study permit expired at the end of January.

It is understood while the university could register students from other countries without a valid study permit, Chuma was in regular contact with the department of home affairs to process his documentation.

In a statement, home affairs spokesperson Siya Qoza said Chuma was not the holder of the permit commonly known as the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP).

Qoza said Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi issued directives gazetted on 28 September, last year, opening applications for visas under the Immigration Act, including study visas.

“The ZEP is not applicable to him or his case whatsoever. Even if he was the holder thereof, the minister of home affairs has issued Directive No 1 of 2021 extending the validity of the exemptions granted to Zimbabwean nationals until 31 December, 2022,” Qoza said.

“The student was a holder of a study visa which expired in January 2022. Nothing prevented the student from registering since September 2021. Furthermore, there was no hurdle for him to register with the university without the involvement of home affairs. Indeed, many foreign students successfully registered at various learning institutions, including Wits University, without a valid study permit.”

Qoza said Chuma’s process of registering for the academic year was not dependent on renewal as his study visa was still valid.

“The student only applied to renew his study visa on 21 April. The statement that the student was in regular contact with home affairs is misleading. We are unable to understand why the student failed to register on time.”