Clive Ndou
31 August 2005
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has described the South African Parliament's decision to involve refugees in its deliberations on the plight of asylum-seekers in the country as "courageous".
On Tuesday the commission, a number of organisations representing refugees and over 100 individual asylum-seekers made presentations to the Parliament's portfolio committee on home affairs on problems faced by refugees in South Africa.
There are an estimated 28 000 asylum-seekers in the country, according to Business Day.
The refugees were given an opportunity to raise issues of concern to them, including the difficulties of obtaining valid documents, xenophobia, lack of education and social services support.
Abel Mbilinyi, assistant representative of UNHCR regional office in Tshwane, told the committee that inviting refugees to participate in the parliamentary process was a rare event in Africa.
"As an international organisation representing the interests of refugees across the world, we appreciate this gesture," he said.
But all refugee groups - including Mbilinyi and the Zimbabwean Exile Forum - expressed concern about the living conditions of refugees in South Africa. They said the Department of Home Affairs should fast-track the granting of permits to refugees as a matter of urgency.
"The waiting period - anything from six months to years - is far too long," said Mbilinyi. "This causes a lot of hardship."
Addressing the committee last week, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said that while her department was facing an application backlog, measures were being taken to eliminate it.
"From the beginning of September we will roll out a six-month programme to deal with the refugee application backlog," she said.
"We are busy putting together staff, equipment, and we will also be launching offices in three provinces."
Mbilinyi said the backlog in asylum applications was estimated at nearly 95 000.
According to the University of Cape Town's Law Refugee Rights Project, 170 000 asylum applications have been made since 1994, of which 35 000 were granted and 40 000 rejected.
Source: BuaNews
