Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena
Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena is the Zimbabwean Community Chair in South Africa; he told Southerton Business Times that long-stay Zimbabwean residents face citizenship exclusion under the new points-based immigration system.
Last refreshed: 30 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does the new points-based immigration system mean for ZEP holders who have lived in South Africa for decades?
Timeline for Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena
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Nomads & Communities- Who is Nicholas Mabhena and what does he represent?
- Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena is the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa, representing ZEP holders and long-stay Zimbabwean residents in engagement with the Department of Home Affairs.Source: Southerton Business Times
- What does the South Africa points-based system mean for ZEP holders?
- ZEP holders and long-stay, low-credentialed residents lose the automatic permanent-residency PATH of the previous regime. Under a merit-based system, a decades-long working residence without formal skills qualifications earns no points towards citizenship.Source: Lowdown briefing U#313
Background
Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena is the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa (ZCSA), a representative body for the estimated hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean nationals resident in South Africa, many of them ZEP (Zimbabwean Exemption Permit) holders. He is quoted in the nomads-and-communities update reacting to the Cabinet-approved Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection, raising the specific concern that a merit-based points system would exclude long-credentialed but low-skilled long-term residents: "you will have a Zimbabwean who has been here since 1994 who cannot become a citizen because they do not meet the necessary skills requirements" .
The ZCSA has been among the most active civil-society voices on ZEP policy, particularly since the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit's non-renewal created legal uncertainty from 2022. Mabhena's role is to represent ZEP holders in engagement with the Department of Home Affairs and in public advocacy. His quote captures the central tension in the white paper: a modernised, skills-oriented immigration architecture and a large existing population whose residency was premised on different rules.
