According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Zimbabweans seeking asylum in South Africa has increased since the June 27 run-off, when Robert Mugabe snatched back power.
“The agency is seeing an increasing number of families arriving as a result of political violence, with several people showing signs of beatings or torture,” UNHCR spokesperson, Jennifer Pagonis, said. “UNHCR is urging South Africa to exceptionally grant Zimbabweans a temporary legal status allowing them to stay in the country, an option which is foreseen in national legislation.”
It is estimated that in the last 40 days alone, some 17,000 Zimbabweans have been deported from South Africa through the Beit Bridge border post, despite earlier calls from the UNHCR for the government to temporarily change its policy. The agency is working together with the authorities to reinforce its presence at the border and is visiting the detention and deportation facility in Musina to identify Zimbabwean asylum seekers and refer them to
the appropriate government authorities. – SW Radio Africa (listen on 4880 or 12035kHz)
Post published in: News