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Zimbabwe: Missionaries concerned about refugees in S. Africa

The Zimbabwean refugees are very concerned about the regularization measure decided on by the South African government, as the situation in their country has not changed," says Fr Mario Tessarotto, Scalabrinian missionary in Cape Town who assists refugees from other African countries, reports CISA.

On September 2, the South African government announced that by the end of the year it will withdraw the special permit granted to thousands of Zimbabweans, allowing them to reside in South Africa without documents.

"After December 31, all undocumented Zimbabweans will be treated the same way and will start being expelled," said a spokesman for the South African government. "South Africa and Zimbabwe have very complex relationships involving the ruling parties in their respective countries," said Fr Scalabrinian, who questions the viability of the measure.

"I think this measure will be difficult to implement. The ANC, the party in power, is divided between a populist current, sympathetic to the position of the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, who supports the return of refugees, and another that wants to maintain good relations with the United States. The latter current fears that the expulsion of refugees may harm relations with Washington, especially on economic terms."

Several South African human rights organizations have also expressed their opposition to the order revoking the special permit of residence out of concern for a possible revival of political violence in Zimbabwe, on the occasion of 2011 elections.

There is a strong community of Zimbabweans living in South Africa about one and a half million people who left their country to escape hunger and political persecution.

"Zimbabwe was once considered the breadbasket of Southern Africa; some people even called it the Switzerland of Africa.

The economic policy of its leadership has plunged the country downwards, now making it among one of the poorest nations in the world with a massive unemployment rate and a crumbling agricultural economy that has forced Zimbabwe to have to import food from abroad," Fr Mario says.

The presence of a high number of refugees from Zimbabwe, to which are added the immigrants from other countries like Mozambique, has led to tensions with the South African population and resulted in severe episodes of intolerance and xenophobia which were condemned by the Catholic Church in South Africa.

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TAGS: Zimbabwe Zimbabwean refugees Fr Mario Tessarotto Robert Mugabe human rights intolerance xenophobia

[09/07/2010]

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