HRW accused the South African authorities of holding an undisclosed
number of Zimbabweans – believed to be over 1,000 – in appalling
conditions at the military base near the border town where the asylum
seekers are being denied recourse to proper immigration screening
procedures.
The police are acting as if they are a law unto themselves, Gerry
Simpson, refugee researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"If they are ignoring a clear government order to stop detaining and
deporting Zimbabweans and give them temporary status, then South Africa
has a major problem with the rule of law."
The deportations come less than a month after South Africa announced it
would issue Zimbabwean refugees with temporary visas to enable them to
stay legally for six months.
The South African group Lawyers for Human Rights petitioned the North
Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to close the centre and was granted an
order by the High Court for the immediate release of all Zimbabweans
held there for longer than 48 hours.
The court is considering whether to close it down entirely.
On April 3, the Department of Home Affairs announced it would introduce
"special dispensation permits" to legalize the stay of hundreds of
thousands of Zimbabweans in South Africa and give them work rights and
access to basic health care and education.
The department also announced an immediate moratorium on the
deportation of Zimbabweans from South Africa after an outcry over the
inhuman treatment of asylum seekers.
"Having taken this bold step to provide over a million desperate
Zimbabweans with the protection they need and deserve, the government
needs to make sure its decision is enforced," said Simpson.
He added: "It needs to tell the police to free the Zimbabweans and end the deportations now."
An estimated three million Zimbabweans have gone to South Africa and
other countries over the past nine years to escape political
persecution and economic hardships at home.
BY NEVER CHANDA
Post published in: Politics