News From Jozi briefs

“A transitional shelter should be established for outside informal traders who are according to research findings sleeping on the streets of the City of Tshwane during the night,” said an official report said.  The influx of traders was causing a serious health hazard and crime.

According to the documents the city plans to construct a shelter to accommodate traders for days not exceeding a week.  An estimated 90 percent of Zimbabweans are reported to have left their formal employment due to the economic and political crisis.

SALC launches media defence pgm

THE Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC) on Friday urged the South African government to push the Zanu (PF) delegation in the SADC-initiated mediation talks led by President Thabo Mbeki to consider lifting “Criminal Sanctions” laid against journalists in Zimbabwe.

SALC, which early this week launched a new media defence programme to facilitate defend freedom of expression in the SADC region, said an independent newspaper was essential and demanded that the Zimbabwean government allow The Daily News to re-open before the forthcoming presidential elections.

“In Zimbabwe there is what we regard as criminal sanctions against journalists which is a direct violation of press freedom and freedom of expression. Given this situation in the midst of talks we call upon the South Africa government to press upon the Zanu-PF negotiating team in the talks to immediately consider protecting media freedom and protecting journalist from all forms of attack which included physical attacks to journalists by senior government official,” said the head of SALC’s Media Defence Programme, Lloyd Kuveya.

Diaspora congress set for Dec

GLOBAL representatives of an estimated four million Zimbabwean citizens scattered all over the world due to socio-economic and political turmoil at home are set to meet in Johannesburg next month to decide the future destiny of their country.  

The Diaspora conference takes place on December 7-9, 2007 with 300 Zimbabwean think-tanks expected.

The CSOs Forum is apolitical and it caters for all Zimbabwean citizens from academics, professionals, politicians, business, corporate world and Christians to come together and share practical economic revival ideas out of the box.  

Dubbed the Global Zimbabwe Congress, leaders of the troubled southern African nation in the United Kingdom UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the majority in South Africa have confirmed their participation.

Top Zimbabwean academics and professionals including US-based Professor Kenny Mufuka, Professor Stanford Mukasa and the University of South Africa (UNISA) Lecturer, Professor Daniel Makina will be presenting papers.  

After presentation of papers, the participants will be divided into groups where they will come up with rescuing ideas of the future Zimbabwe.

“We will then elect a 10-member committee to spearhead the forum after the congress. We need to create a Global Zimbabwe, representing the majority in the Diaspora, profile and database Zimbabweans and create a diaspora development chamber in the diaspora, to plan future development of Zimbabwe through the diaspora process,” said the Director Norah Tapiwa.

 

Banks refuse accounts to asylum seekers

SOUTH African banks have started complying with the Department of Home

Affairs directive to stop asylum seekers opening accounts. Analysts and asylum seekers have bemoaned the move saying it would make life more difficult for thousands of asylum seekers.

“We welcome the Home Affairs Department’s position. It underlines what we have always maintained regarding the issue of opening accounts for asylum seekers. Their permits expire and can easily be forged which might result in our services being compromised,” said an official with First National Bank, adding that they could only assist those with refugee status.

Last week, Department of Home Affairs has, with immediate effect, prohibited local financial from opening accounts for asylum seekers in South Africa. Johannesburg-based analyst, Shepherd Mpofu, said the move was unprocedural and would compromise the standards of lives of thousands of asylum seekers in the country.

“This action will impact negatively on those who own businesses because they can’t access banking services. Should they keep cash in their rooms and risk robbery? What does not make sense to me is that it is the Home Affairs Department that calls for this action from the banks as if there is some harm meant to the asylum seekers. The Department has gone a bit overboard here and instead of dealing with the asylum seekers they seek to divert attention from their shortcomings and other rot that it is associated with,” he said.

“Banks should do what they think will give them revenue. If it was (SARB governor, Tito) Mboweni calling for this it would make sense…or if there is a bank that can prove that it is running at a loss due to serving asylum seekers then there can be logical steps taken to address the challenges or problems,” he said.

Asylum seekers concurred and urged the government to speed up the rate at which it processed asylum applications.

“It is a pity for thousands of us that are working to be shut out of the banking system. The move would stunt our companies’ growth as well as putting the finances of our employees at risk as they have to ‘bank’ at home,” bemoaned Sonny Ayodele,” a Ghanaian asylum seeker.

The move by banks and government would affect millions of asylum seekers resident in the country. Some of these members of society are employers while others are working and it beats logic how they would fare if they cannot open accounts.

On the other hand it takes the bungling Home Affairs department several years to approve asylum applications, which makes it unlikely that hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers would be incepted into the country’s banking system soon-CAJ News.