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SOUTHERN AFRICAN MIGRATION PROJECT |
Migration News |
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SOUTHERN AFRICAN MIGRATION PROJECT |
Migration News |
June 2004 - Click on the country title above the headlines for the entire article.
Region:
Human Trafficking stretches across SADC Region
Southern Africa: conference on human trafficking
SADC members to benefit from free trade area by 2008
Africa's legislators promise to promote refugee protection
Angola:
Return of 39,000 people from DRC
UN to repatriate Angolan refugees from DR Congo
First convoy of Angolan refugees from Zambia
West African immigrants seek asylum
Refugee repatriation from Zambia
Citizen shelter illegal foreigners
Deported Guineans complain of ill treatment
Forced expulsions result in DRC backlash
Immigration authorities combat border jumping
Technical committee analyses border
Botswana:
Immigration boss denies targeting Zimbabweans
Botswana deports 26,000 Zimbabwean
Stop harbouring illegal immigrants, says MP
Working conditions blamed for nurses exodus
DRC:
DR Congo hosts more than 400,000 refugees
Lesotho:
Agoa brings investment - and sweatshops
Mozambique:
South Africa Business in Mozambique
Namibia:
Exiles return from Botswana
Government apologizes to asylum seekers for delays
Namibia's white farmers face uncertain future
Tourism Statistics questioned
Cross-Border police co-operation success
Expatriates may be caught in the Namibian tax net
South Africa:
Reversing the medical brain drain
Concerns about Immigration Amendment Bill
Home affairs launches internship programme
Act aims to erase my legacy, says Buthelezi
UNHCR warns on SA's refugee backlog
Immigration revamp on the way
Buthelezi "follies" erased in fresh immigration bill
Buthelezi criticizes draft immigration Amendment Bill
UK slated for stealing doctors
Cape Town heaven for some, but hell for others
Foreigners not to blame for property prices
Stop pandering to foreigners
Foreign ownership plan misguided, say agents
New Immigration Bill streamlines foreign recruitment
KwaZakhele residents reach agreement
Mbeki backs Didiza on foreign ownership review
Dual passport use to be curbed
Cape Town's new immigrants
Hospital to cut surgery as Nurses quit
Mbeki backs land restrictions
Priest arrested for marriage scam
Six held in two separate drug busts
Clampdown on immigration specialists
Four-year old girls target for sex trafficking
Long-term solution to end violence in Rutensburg
Trafficking flourishes in SA
South African a human trafficking hub
South Africa regional centre for human trafficking
Disgraced SA doctor expelled from Canada
Mozambicans in Limpopo Province
Police crack fraudulent marriage ring
Aids-stricken nurse inspires miners to seek treatment
Land Minister considers curb on foreign ownership
Why I fled from home to South Africa
Human trafficking growing in SA
Anger and despair as gold mine dies
Talks over foreigners owning land in SA
UN body urges SA to take care of refugees
DRC Minister find safe haven in SA
South Africa to hold forum on human trafficking
Cops bust travel document ring
Consulate comments on clashes involving Mozambicans
Initiative to fight human trafficking
SA citizens may be part of UK visa scam
SA victims of UK visa scam face expulsion
Refugees play cat and mouse game with police
Home Affairs will not probe fake visas
Fake visas put South Africans in UK
Students face mass deportation
SA refugees under spotlight
SA hit by misuse of refugee status
False passports gang busted
Arrest in London over SA visa scam
Nine in court over Freedom Park violence
Mozambican refugees in South Africa
Home Affairs set for turnaround
New twist in North West conflicts
North West government shocked at xenophobic meeting
Foreigners arrested in drug bust
Integration of Mozambican refugees a success
Expats create new publishing market
Home Affairs to improve service delivery
Immigration regulations to be finalized
Planned crackdown on illegal immigrants
Rustenburgers agree on steps to prevent ethnic clashes
Home affairs a leader in corruption, says minister
Government clips immigration body's wings
Mozambique speaks out on clashes
Thirty five appear in Rustenburg court
We're not criminals, protest Nigerians
Gulf states lure South African workers
Professionals flocking to the Gulf states
Informal settlement violence: MEC slams xenophobia
Rustenburg squatter camp calm after clashes
Immigration Act could be passed in two months
All roads lead to Gauteng for tourists
Cape stays top as tourism numbers rise again
Renewed clashes in Rustenburg
Shameful truth about SA's treatment of refugees
Home Affairs prioritises customers
Home Affairs spends R500m on hi-tech
Smart passport on way
Two appear in court over ethnic clashes
Swaziland:
Nurses exodus prison clinics
Defence forces arrest 138 illegal immigrants
Manzini vendors complain of unfair competition from Chinese
Tanzania:
20 Tanzanians arrested in Zambia
Tanzania deploys soldiers at border
Zambia:
Zambia, Cape Town top tourism spots
Refugees at Mwange want more security officers
Illegal immigrants arrested
UNHCR resumes repatriation of Angolan refugees from Zambia
Arrested without documentation
Prohibited immigrant deported
Poor conditions behind nurses, Teachers Exodus
Monitor foreign investors urges parliamentary committee
Congolese refugees welcome in Zambia
Zimbabwe:
Mau Mau faces UK deportation
UK probes immigration scam
In pursuit of the diaspora dollar: commentary
Zimbabweans abroad invest million
400,000 tourists visit Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's migrants in neighbouring countries
Zimbabwen exiles denounce Mugabe's banker
Refugees opt for Zimbabwe
MDC supporters disrupt Midrand meeting
RBZ's forex drive commendable
Reserve Bank Governor heads for SA
Zimbabwe pleads for exiles' cash
Zimbabwe and Mozambique set to scrap visas
Zimbabwe's central banker in UK
Government prepares for Mawere's extradition
Marriages of convenience rife
Zimbabwe seeks funds from UK
Diaspora dollar initiative confounds critics
Zimbabwe women warned against marriage to foreigners
Government taps into remittances to ease forex shortages
Harare bank boss to urge exiles to give generously
Zimbabwe plans massive land nationalization
University scouts for lecturers abroad
Concern as cross-border traders turn to anti-retrovirals
Central Bank team opposed by Zimbabweans in US
Tapping into the diaspora for foreign exchange
Zimbabwean students graduate at Fort Hare
Nigerian deported despite Zimbabwean family
Zimbabweans in diaspora urged to invest
Mawere challenges revoke of citizenship
Commentary on the Citizenship Law
Lesotho
Agoa brings investment - and sweatshops (Sapa-AP, 05/06) - Under the
harsh glare of fluorescent lights, hundreds of women bend over sewing machines
and ironing boards amid piles of brightly coloured cloth. Almost 25 000 T-shirts
roll off the Shining Century production line each day, destined for store
shelves at the Gap and Old Navy outlets in America. The rapid growth of
factories like these has made this tiny mountain Kingdom of Lesotho a poster
child for a three-and-a-half-year-old US trade law aimed at encouraging economic
development in Africa by dropping tariffs on many products exported to America.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act, known as Agoa, has given Lesotho a
competitive edge over textile manufacturing countries elsewhere in the world,
like Taiwan and India, helping it lure investment and create jobs. As business
and political leaders debate how to encourage growth on the troubled continent
at a World Economic Forum summit in nearby Mozambique, Lesotho is quietly
counting its successes. Since Agoa came into effect in October 2000, more than
35 000 new textile jobs have been created in Lesotho, one of the world's poorest
countries. Though home fewer than two million people, the country is Africa's
eighth-largest exporter to the, United States and produced 31 % of the textiles
exported to America under the act last year. But those jobs come at a price:
hard work for little pay, rapid urbanisation and the attendant growth of slums,
prostitution, crime and Aids. Key provisions of Agoa expire in September, and
the US Congress is currently debating whether to renew them. In Lesotho, while
everyone from manufacturers government to trade unions say they want the textile
boom to continue, there is growing concern about the costs of industrialisation.
"If Agoa is extended, it will create more jobs. If not, the companies will cut
and run predicted Shaw Lebakae, deputy secretary-general of the Lesotho Clothing
and All Workers Union, one of two textile unions. "We want the factories to
stay, but we want them to pay a living wage and to uphold good labour
practices." Mphonyane Motseki, 23, spends her days cutting fabric for
American-bound T-shirt and her nights in a tiny, one room house at the back of a
yard that reeks of raw sewage. Almost half her monthly salary of about US$100 is
sent to help her parents and siblings in a village in Lesotho's mountains. At
the end of the month, after long hours on the factory floor, there is little
left over for even the smallest of luxuries. "It's not good at all," she said,
as she walked home. "But all people want that job because there is nothing
else." Foreign companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the
country, and the two main industrial areas in the capital, Maseru, are booming.
But most of the new textile workers are like Motseki - poor, young women who
continue to live in abject poverty. The country's two unions call the factories
sweatshops. US officials say the jobs are a necessary first step in the
country's development. In Lesotho - as in America, Asia and Europe - they say
textile work will create new wealth and eventually help pull the country up the
economic ladder. "What Agoa has done for Lesotho is to open a door," said Robert
Loftis, US ambassador to Lesotho. "The thing about Agoa is that it's not an aid
programme, it a trade programme. It's helping to bring them into the
international trade system.
Mozambique
South Africa Business in Mozambique (Irinnews.org, 02/06) - South African
businesses in Mozambique continue to see high returns on their investments, but
locals worry that foreign companies are crowding them out while not creating
sustainable jobs. According to a recent survey by the South Africa Institute for
International Affairs (SAIIA) Mozambique enjoys some 49 percent of South African
foreign direct investment, the lion's share on the continent. More than 262
South African projects have been registered by Mozambique's Investment Promotion
Centre since its establishment in 1985, resulting in an accumulated investment
value of US $1.33 billion by the end of 2003. South African investors controlled
three of the four sugar estates, three of Mozambique's four breweries, all the
soft drink bottling plants and large cereal mills, and most tourism facilities
in the country, the report observed. However, South African investment in
Mozambique had not necessarily led to sustainable employment opportunities in
the impoverished country. The Mozal aluminum smelter project created 5,033
temporary positions, of which 70 percent were held by Mozambicans during the
construction and expansion phases. After completion of both phases, the full
staff complement was now about 800 staff members." More than 300 Mozambicans
worked on the construction of the Sasol [gas] pipeline, generating wages in
excess of US $5 million. However, when the pipeline has been laid, its full
staff requirement will shrink to under 200," said the report. On the other hand,
South African investment in two sugar estates and their mills created 3,034
permanent jobs, as well as seasonal employment for 5,398 workers. Researchers
noted that agriculture remained the largest employer and recommended the need
for the Mozambican government to attract more investment into this critical area
of economic activity. About 80 percent of Mozambicans are involved in
subsistence farming. The most significant investment failure - not only by South
Africans - was that foreign companies had not adequately transferred skills or
built links with local businesses. "The superior technology, business knowledge
and (relative) financial strength of South African companies in the Mozambican
market have also contributed to their domination of local industry. Because of
their strong presence in the local economy, South Africans have been singled out
as responsible for the crowding out of local business," SAIIA commented. The
introduction of South African products, combined with the development and
expansion of local distribution networks, had led to a more consistent supply of
goods, greater price stability and higher consumer awareness in Mozambique. The
impact of South African investment on economic policy, industrialisation,
transfer of technology and the regulatory framework had generally been
benevolent and positive. "In many instances it has set new standards in labour
and business best practice. It has also led to the diversification and growth of
the country's revenue base," the report noted. But the sizeable number of South
African businesses operating in Mozambique did not imply that the country
offered a "trouble-free, uncomplicated business environment". The successful
implementation of mega-projects such as the Mozal aluminum smelter and the Sasol
pipeline had boosted business confidence in Mozambique, but the survey found
that the two key impediments to business growth were ineffective bureaucracy and
corruption. As an example of some of the difficulties South African investors
face, the report highlighted the unexpected withdrawal in 2001 of Rand Air, a
South African air compressor and generator hire company, on grounds of the high
level of corruption and red tape. Poor infrastructure, smuggling and theft were
also among the concerns raised by South African investors. Overall, foreign
businesses were in favour of extensive efforts by the authorities to curry
favour with international donors. The international community has responded
positively to Mozambique's economic reforms and its move towards
decentralisation after the end of the civil war in 1992. Almost all the South
African investors interviewed indicated that they would maintain or expand their
operations in Mozambique in the near future. They also took a fairly optimistic
view of the economic future of Mozambique, although the experiences of smaller
investors diverged from those of bigger ones, who are far more insulated from
the regulatory difficulties and bureaucratic hurdles which face small investors.
Namibia
Exiles return from Botswana (New Era, 28/06)- Two thousand four hundred
Namibians who ran to Botswana in the aftermath of the Caprivi unrest have come
back to Namibia under an UN-supervised repatriation. Over 2 000 Namibians have
since 1998 been housed at the remote Dukwe Refugee Camp in Botswana after they
claimed they were being persecuted. The Namibian government denied the charges.
Mikka Asino, spokesman at the Ministry of Home Affairs last Friday said
initially 1 300 Namibians returned voluntarily before being followed by another
group of 1 100 returnees consisting of women and children. The two groups
returned following a tripartite agreement that was signed by Namibia, Botswana
and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UN-HCR), an accord that
granted free passage to those wishing to return to their motherland. Officials
from UNHCR in Windhoek and Pretoria were not immediately available for comment
since last Friday. Asino said Namibians who still remain at Dukwe should come
back to Namibia so that they can lead "productive" lives. The Home Affairs
official said the Namibian government does not have any quarrel with those who
escaped to Botswana. "They should come back and lead productive lives," he said,
adding those wishing to return should contact UNHCR.
Government apologizes to asylum seekers for delays (Namibian, 23/06)-
Government has apologised to asylum seekers in Namibia for the delay in
processing their applications for refugee status.
At the same time, however, it issued a stern warning to those who resorted to
what it described as "unruly behaviour" to voice dissatisfaction about their
treatment in their host country. In direct response to claims by the Association
for the Defence of Refugee Rights (ADR) that Government was violating their
rights by allegedly denying them refugee status, the Home Affairs Commissioner
for Refugees Elizabeth Negumbo said on Monday that the group, consisting mainly
of DRC nationals, were "misguided". "These asylum seekers maintain that they are
justified to call our Government all sorts of names and even went to the extent
insulting our leadership, including the leadership of UNHCR, under the guise of
demanding their basic human rights as asylum seekers," Negumbo said at Osire on
the occasion of World Refugee Day. Three placard-waving members of the ADR were
arrested as they broke through the crowd as Negumbo began addressing refugees.
Negumbo stood firm as the crowd surged forward, causing momentary mayhem as the
Police moved swiftly to clamp down on the instigators of the protest. Later,
nine others were also detained for alleged disturbance of the peace. "This is
our day. If we don't demonstrate today, then when?" ADR leader MacGoddins
Lushimba told journalists. The Refugee Commissioner maintained that Government
had remained steadfast in its commitment to giving the basic needs and rights of
refugees all the attention it demanded. "It appears they only know their basic
needs and rights, at the same time deliberately ignoring their obligations
towards Namibia to respect the local laws of the host country and to refrain
from unruly behaviour which might disturb peace and public order," said Negumbo.
She cited a lack of manpower and logistical pitfalls for having prolonged the
process of awarding refugee status to asylum seekers and denied that Government
had deliberately put the exercise on hold last year. "This group of asylum
seekers are misguided asylum seekers who, out of ignorance and-or frustration,
try to mislead the genuine asylum seekers and some refugees within the camp,"
Negumbo said. She said the Namibia Refugee Committee would give serious
attention to unprocessed applications when it next sits on July 8.
Namibia's white farmers face uncertain future (Mail&Guardian, 23/06)-
Namibia's white farmers are increasingly concerned about their future after
President Sam Nujoma's government began targeting a second group of farms for
expropriation under its land reform programme. A second batch of letters was
sent to white farmers last week, on the heels of a first bunch in early May,
notifying farm owners to set a price for the sale of their land to the State.
"My neighbour received a notice three days ago," said a farmer who asked not to
be named. "Four more farmers in my area have also received a letter signed by
Lands Minister Pohamba." "We don't know what to do if we also receive such a
notice. Our children are teenagers, maybe we should emigrate to Australia," said
the farmer, who inherited his farm from his grandfather. Fearing the worst, the
farmer said he was cutting back on expenses and only purchasing goods that are
essential to run his farm. A lands ministry official declined to comment on the
new notices. "I cannot comment on that and I cannot disclose any figures at this
stage", the official said. Land is a sensitive issue in southern Africa, where,
as in other part of Africa, most of the arable land is in the hands of a small
group of white farmers. In Namibia, they number around 3 800.The example of
Zimbabwe, where thousands of white-owned farms were seized and handed over to
new black farmers, was hailed in some quarters as a justified solution to the
decades-old conundrum. Since 1996, the Namibian government has bought 130 farms
under its "willing seller, willing buyer" principle and resettled about 40 000
people on them. In addition, 700 white-owned commercial farms were bought on the
open market by black Namibians since independence through affirmative action
loans from the agricultural bank. The government in the former German colony,
which came under South African rule until independence in 1990, maintains that
the expropriations will be carried out in strict accordance with its laws. But
the assurances appear to have fallen on deaf ears. "I am aware of the
uncertainty prevailing among the farmers. Already companies selling agricultural
equipment are feeling the pinch, because farmers hold back with investments to
improve their infrastructure," Jan de Wet, outgoing president of the largest
commercial farmers' organisation told about 60 white farmers last week. De Wet's
organisation, the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), has won an extension of the
deadline given to the first group of farmers to respond to the notices, to June
30."We are for a fair expropriation process, but the government has not even
made known the criteria to expropriate in the public interest," says Sigi
Eimbeck, co-founder of a new group called the Namibia Farmers' Support
Initiative created earlier this year. The planned farm expropriations are
thought to be having a ripple effect on foreign investment. German businessman
Wilfried Pabst said that he had frozen investment in Namibia after running into
problems in Zimbabwe. Pabst complained of being harassed by Zimbabwean local
officials who called him and his staff "white pigs". "Now President Sam Nujoma
is using similar socialist vocabulary like Robert Mugabe and farm expropriations
are to happen in Namibia. "I don't need another Zimbabwe in my life," said
Pabst.
Tourism Statistics questioned (Namibia Economist, 18/06) - Statistics
indicate that a total of 747 201 “tourists” visited Namibia in 2002. These
statistics, according to the hospitality industry and related sectors in
tourism, do not reflect the real number of tourists to Namibia. The hospitality
industry argues that the country does not have sufficient beds in hotels and
lodges to accommodate that number of visitors. Also, many of those described as
tourists, by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), are people who have
come to visit relatives or are South Africans who, during fishing season, travel
to the coast in their own vehicles and catch as much fish as they can and leave
without having spent any cent here. They come with everything from tents to food
supplies. The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) is aware that the tourism and
hospitality industry is unconvinced about the annual statistics regarding
tourists to Namibia. The manager of quality assurance at NTB Digu //Naobeb
explained that the board has suggested to the ministry that, besides the total
number of travelers to Namibia, the statistics be broken down into components to
indicate the reasons why the person came to Namibia. The components could
indicate how many people came to visit relatives, how many people came for
holiday and how many people came for business. The statistics for 2002 show that
56,8% of the 747 201 came to Namibia for “holiday” purposes; that is, more than
400 000 travelers to Namibia of which about 83% are European visitors. The
tourism and hospitality industries question the credibility of the statistics on
the basis that it is likely that one person could be counted more than once. A
person could, for example, fly in via Hosea Kutako Airport, take a guided tour
to Botswana, return to Namibia, visit the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and return
to Windhoek to fly home again. This person will have entered Namibia three times
during his visit to southern Africa and have been counted three times as a
tourist. The main argument between the tourism and hospitality industry on one
side and the MET and NTB on the other, is in the definition of a tourist. The
hospitality industry defines a tourist as a visitor to Namibia who stays at a
bed-and-breakfast, hotel or any other hospitality establishment and engages in
tourism related activities. They insist that business people from anywhere and
family visitors from Angola and South Africa are not regarded as tourists. The
ministry and NTB, on the other hand, prescribe to the definition of the World
Tourism Organisation, which defines a tourist as “any person visiting a country
other than his/her usual country of residence for at least one night, but not
exceeding a period of 12 months.”
Cross-Border police co-operation success (The Namibian, 09/06) - The Police
chief of the Karas Region has applauded his South African counterparts for a job
well done after they staged two successful operations in which 21 people were
arrested. Speaking during the regional Joint Technical Committee on Defence and
Security meeting at Rosh Pinah at the end of last week, Deputy Commissioner
Joseph Anghuwo said they had arrested 21 South Africans between January and
March of whom 17 were illegal immigrants. The four others were held for the
possession of dagga. The joint operation with South Africa also resulted in the
arrest of three suspects in the armed robbery case at the Daberas Mine, 40 km
from Oranjemund last year November, Anghuwo said. He said Police from Namibia
and South Africa confiscated 77 fishing nets between Komsberg and Stolszenfels
between January and March. A further 65 nets, two tubes, and seven long-lines
were confiscated at Norotsama Lodge, 15 km west of Aussenkehr, at the same time.
Anghuwo said the convention was a platform for identifying the training needs
for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of police officers on both sides
of the border. The Director of the South African Police for the Gordonia Area,
Kolie Matthys, said at the meeting that illegal fishing and border crossing
along the Orange River would be monitored and addressed through continued joint
operations and policing. He said cross-border crime prevention would be stepped
up, especially since South Africa was preparing to host the 2010 Soccer World
Cup.
Expatriates may be caught in the Namibian tax net (Namibian Economist 04/06) -
Expatriates working in Namibian may be caught in the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) net
in Namibia if the income that they earn during their period of employment in
Namibia is deemed to be of a Namibian source. Expatriates are normally highly
skilled, specialised individuals in the higher income group and proper tax
planning and advice is therefore important. Tax planning will ensure that the
after-tax income earned by expats is according to their expectation and
furthermore the Namibian employers will not be caught off-guard by employee
costs that are much higher than budgeted for. Expatriates are individuals from
foreign countries who are in Namibia on secondment for a period, the intention
being that they will be repatriated to their country of residence after expiry
of their secondment period. In Namibia expatriates are commonly found in the
fishing and mining industries. Namibia levies tax on the source basis on income
that is received by a person within or deemed to be within Namibia. This differs
from a residence based worldwide taxation system that is operated in European
countries and the United States. In terms of the Namibian Constitution and
public international law, Namibian law will apply to the territory of Namibia
and within 24 nautical miles (43,80 km) measured from the ebb line. The
reference to the coastal area is particularly significant for expats employed in
the fishing industry. The real source of employment income will generally be the
location where the duties and the obligations in terms of the employment
contract are executed. If the location where the income is earned is in Namibia,
as defined, then this income will be subject to Namibian tax. It is however not
uncommon for expatriate employees to render their services partly within and
partly outside Namibia i.e. crew on Namibian fishing vessels who catch outside
Namibian waters but also renders services on shore. Fortunately Namibia has
entered into Double Tax Agreements (DTA’s) with 10 other countries to date. The
DTA’s will prevent an individual from being taxed on the same income in both the
country of residence and the country where he is rendering his services.
Expatriates working in Namibia must therefore ascertain whether their country of
origin has entered into a DTA with Namibia. If there is no DTA between the two
countries an expat may be liable for tax in both countries, as a resident of his
country of origin, if that country levies tax on residence base, and on the
income earned in Namibia based on the source of the income. Employers may also
be trapped in the tax net when expatriates are employed on a “net of tax” basis.
In this case the employer is responsible to pay the monthly PAYE in addition to
the monthly salary of the expat. Employers will have to perform a gross-up
calculation and by adding the tax that is being paid as PAYE to the net salary
paid to the employee may find that the PAYE on the total amount is more than the
PAYE per original calculation. A multi-step gross-up calculation is necessary to
achieve the desired result but the eventual cost to the employer may be much
more than initially budgeted for. Employers who currently employ expats or
intend to do so in future must ensure that they have budgeted for the total cost
of employment and expats who are employed or who intend to render future
services in Namibia must identify the tax traps to ensure that they are not
caught. "This article is provided by PricewaterhouseCoopers for information
only, and does not constitute the provision of professional advice of any kind.
The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for
consultation with professional advisers. Before making any decision or taking
any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with
all the pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation. No responsibility
for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result
of any material in this publication can be accepted by the author, copyright
owner or publisher."
South Africa
Reversing the medical brain drain (Inter Press Service, 30/06) - The
flight of nurses and doctors from South Africa - and other African states - has
long been a source of concern for the governments of these countries. And, the
advent of AIDS has sharpened fears about the effects of this migration. IPS was
not able to get comment on the matter from South Africa's Department of Health.
However, statistics from the British Medical Journal indicate that in the
2001/2002 period, 2,114 nurses left South Africa for Britain, (up from 599 in
1998/1999). The picture for 2001/2002 was less dramatic, but still worrying, for
states elsewhere on the continent. About 470 nurses left Zimbabwe, while 432
left Nigeria. Ghana lost 195 nurses to Britain, Zambia 183 and Kenya 155. Health
workers who leave for greener pastures in Europe can net substantially larger
salaries than they earn in their home countries. African governments, pointing
to the host of social needs that clamour for attention, could claim that they
don't have the money to compete with these salaries. Many are also following
programmes set by the International Monetary Fund and other financial
institutions that set limits on public expenditure. All of this begs the
question as to whether donor agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
should start supplementing the salaries of health workers to keep them in South
Africa, and other African countries. This might involve a marked departure from
the areas of responsibility that these groups have traditionally set out for
themselves. Yet, it seems clear that the 'brain drain' of medical personnel is
as much a problem for NGOs which work to contain AIDS and other diseases, as it
is for governments. No matter how low the prices of anti-retrovirals go, the
benefits of these reductions risk being undermined if there aren't sufficient,
trained health workers to administer the drugs. "If donors want to achieve a
small part of the target they set, they will need health workers to ensure all
health care interventions are implemented," says Lucy Gilson, a researcher at
the Centre for Health Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand in South
Africa's commercial centre, Johannesburg. IPS sent numerous requests for comment
on this matter to a variety of donor agencies and NGOs, including the Global
Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Health Organisation and
Oxfam. However, none of the groups appeared willing to put their views on the
record. Part of this reluctance may stem from the fact that a well-meaning
effort to supplement state salaries could get bogged down in politicking. How
would a donor agency be able to justify addressing staff shortages in a country
where arms purchases were continuing - or where endemic corruption was visibly
depleting the financial resources that might otherwise be spent on health
matters? Certain commentators have also indicated that a debate about this type
of intervention is fruitless, because the effectiveness of donor agencies
depends, in part, on the fact that they are clearly seen not to meddle in the
internal affairs of the states that they assist. However, Gilson does not think
agencies and NGOs will "aid and abet" poor governance by boosting the salaries
of doctors and nurses: "If they made direct payments to individuals, the
governance problem would be theirs, not that of the government." The flip side
of this argument is that donor funds for salaries might not be sustainable over
the long term. Damaria Senne, Communications Manager of the Charities Aid
Foundation Southern Africa (CAFSA) told IPS that as yet, there had been no
formal discussion with regard to donor funding specifically for the salaries of
health workers. "But I have heard comments at conferences and meetings where
people and organisations have complained bitterly of donors' unwillingness to
fund administration and salary costs (for aid projects)." (CAFSA is a non-profit
organisation that provides financial expertise and other assistance to NGOs.)
Senne said that funders sometimes capped the allocations for project
administration and salaries at 20 percent of the total aid package, leaving
these projects understaffed. Poor salaries are not the only reason why nurses
seek employment abroad, however, as Thembi Mngomezulu, Chief Negotiator for the
Democratic Nurses Organisation of South Africa, points out. In an interview with
IPS, she said some wanted the adventure of working in a foreign country. Others
left because of poor or insecure working conditions, bad management, a lack of
training opportunities - and the sense that nursing offered little in the way of
career advancement over the long term. Mngomezulu believes that donor funding
could be used to provide occasional incentives for nurses - rather than a
permanent addition to their salaries. "Salaries need to be sustained once
introduced, therefore foreign funding will pose a special challenge in this
regard," she told IPS. "However, special allowances can be introduced to attract
certain skills to underserved areas." Gilson agrees that the dissatisfaction of
health workers extends far beyond the matter of what is in their pay packets.
"It is about giving people a sense of calling and purpose, making them feel
valued and acknowledging their hard work. These are all important - though to
different degrees for different people," she says. This complicates the matter
of hiking up salaries to retain staff. "Higher salaries probably would be a
factor, but what level of increase is required we just don't know," notes
Gilson. She adds that increases which put South Africa and other African states
on a par with European countries are also unnecessary. This is because the cost
of living in Africa is generally lower than that in European countries, "so you
should be able to buy more with your salary here than there."
Concerns about Immigration Amendment Bill (Business Day, 30/06) - Finality
does not always bring clarity, particularly when it comes to the new Immigration
Amendment Bill. It establishes some short-term clarity but government intends to
undertake a policy review on immigration which will result in a "fresh"
Immigration Act. Contrary to the demands of business and the desperate need in
the economy for skills, the bill makes it more difficult for foreigners to work
in SA. Its critics say it reintroduces elements of the old Aliens Control Act,
requiring all foreigners entering SA to work, even for a short time, to obtain a
work permit . Barry Gilder, director-general of the home affairs department,
says there is no intention to revert to the Aliens Control Act. "We may have
used things in the bill that are similar ," he concedes. Another major amendment
removes the "privatisation" of the department's work permit certification
system. Chartered accountants used to perform an oversight role at a price.
Gilder says this is onerous and impractical and the department will evaluate
application criteria , "whether they be money, investments, or whatever". He
says the intention of the bill is to fix a number of drafting problems which
arose because the Immigration Act was passed in a hurry, in order to meet a
deadline imposed by a Constitutional Court ruling. It also tries to clear up
confusion surrounding the deferring of "power" to the department, and ensuring
that the regulation making process is "simpler and more straightforward". There
are changes to the role and composition of the Immigration Control Board, to
emphasize its advisory role . The bill also clarifies on what issues immigration
regulations can be made. Another criticism is that the bill gives more power to
the home affairs minister and director- general, but this is dismissed by Gilder
as a "superficial, non-legal reading of the bill". He says the act does not make
it clear who can exercise the powers given to the department. Vick Esselaar,
spokesman for Business Unity SA on migration, says that the new amendments give
greater powers to the director-general to operate "in his discretion". "We don't
think this is a desirable process. It has caused a retraction of certain human
rights, particularly in regard to the legal issues. The appeal and review
processes have been eliminated," says Esselaar. Gilder says the minister and
director-general can review any decision taken . "This gives our clients an
opportunity to have a decision reviewed," he says. Esselaar contends that
greater government control and reduced involvement by the board is undesirable
"in an admittedly corrupt department". "The board previously had an oversight
role. It could comment on implementation by the department. This is now removed
," he says. Former home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi says the bill
indicates "an autocratic attitude which goes beyond the field of migration
control". With the stroke of a pen it undermined the entire reform of migration
control during his tenure, Buthelezi said. Market force dynamics influencing the
issuing of work permits will now be replaced by the discretion of the department
and the role of the labour department will also be eliminated, Buthelezi argues.
He says each work permit will have to go through a "tortuous and lengthy
process". Buthelezi believes the bill brings back most of the features of the
repealed Aliens Control Act. The most troubling aspect of the bill, Buthelezi
says, is that it abolishes the process of regulation making based on public
participation . By the end of August, the deadline set by President Thabo Mbeki
for the new bill to be passed by Parliament and the regulations to be ready for
promulgation, SA will have a new immigration system in place. Then the hard work
starts again on the next phase.
Home affairs launches internship programme (SABC News, 30/06) - The
department of home affairs has launched an internship programme aimed at giving
unemployed graduates work experience. Malusi Gigaba, the deputy minister of home
affairs, says the programme will contribute to government's drive to address
unemployment among youth. Gigaba says it will also assist the department in
increasing its capacity for effective service delivery. The new programme
launched today by Gigaba is expected to increase the department of home affairs'
service delivery and at the same time give graduates valuable work experience.
He says 350 students will be enrolled as interns. Every year South Africa
produces thousands of university and technikon graduates, but only a small
percentage are able to find employment. The former president of the ANC youth
league, says this will contribute to government's attempts to address youth
unemployment. Although the number of interns seems to be a drop in the ocean,
Gigaba believes that if other government department can do the same, problems of
unemployment can be reduced. Tertiary students have welcomed the initiative.
They say the programme, though late in coming, will help them get much needed
experience. Application forms for the internship programme are available at home
affairs offices throughout the country and other government buildings.
Act aims to erase my legacy, says Buthelezi (The Star, 30/06) - The
government's proposed changes to the Immigration Act bodes ill for foreign
investment and is a regression into centralism. This was the view expressed
yesterday by former home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The Inkatha
Freedom Party leader, recently dropped as minister after 10 years in the
cabinet, said the proposed changes would mark the "triumph of autocracy,
protectionism and parochialism over an objective system of migration control".
He charged that the new bill is aimed at erasing the legacy of the Buthelezi
administration. "It is a bad bill, obviously not aimed at facilitating South
Africa's economic exchanges with the rest of the world," he said. But Department
of Home Affairs spokesperson Mike Ramogoma disagreed. "We beg to differ. The
current process of amending the legislation recognises that the act, as
originally drafted, was the result of political bargaining, instead of being
based on a rational need for an immigration law that attracts skills and
encourages foreign direct investment and tourism." Ramogoma said there was a
need for an immigration policy that managed to "properly balance immigration and
emigration". Buthelezi, however, said the bill would be "extremely detrimental
to the capacity of South Africa to acquire foreign skills". Buthelezi, who
clashed repeatedly with the ANC over immigration, said the proposed amendments
showed "an autocratic attitude which goes beyond the field of migration
control". "With one stroke of the pen, this bill would be undermining the entire
reform of migration control, which was brought about during my tenure as
minister of home affairs through five years of public consultation," he said.
Moreover, Buthelezi said, the Immigration Amendment Bill brought back most of
the features of the repealed Aliens Control Act. "It eliminates the role of
chartered accountants which would perform a broad range of certifications and
assessments, which (now) are to be performed by the departments of Home Affairs
and Labour, with great uncertainty, delays and cost." It also centralised power
in the hands of the director-general, thereby preventing the legal
decentralisation of the department into regions with the power of issuing the
full range of permits, he said. "The bill eliminates all the limits and
constraints on the power of the minister ... who will again be allowed to let
people in and out as he or she sees fit without referring to the Immigration
Advisory Board (lAB)." The most concerning feature of the bill was that it
abolished the process of regulation-making based on necessary public
participation as well as notice and comments, "without any possibility of anyone
resorting to a court of law to challenge whether such decisions are arbitrary or
capricious", Buthelezi said.
UNHCR warns on SA's refugee backlog (Business Day, 29/06) - About 84000
African refugees and asylum seekers out of nearly 110000 in SA are still
awaiting recognition of their status, a backlog the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says has serious implications. These refugees
cannot be issued with identity documents that will enable them to open bank
accounts and find formal employment in the country, among other things. The
temporary identity document issued to refugees is not gazetted in terms of the
Identity Documents Act and is therefore not recognised, particularly in the
business community. The backlog in the processing of these applications has been
accumulating since 1994 due to staff shortages in the home affairs department.
Bemma Donkoh, regional representative of the UNHCR, says the organisation hopes
to run a workshop with parliamentarians on the issue to detail the plight of
refugees as an aspect of forced migration, as well as international policies and
standards governing the protection of refugees. Home affairs portfolio committee
chairman Patrick Chauke said that the committee's role would be to encourage the
department to create a system soon so that the refugees were recorded and "taken
on board". Chauke said that the department's turnaround strategy, which was
presented to the committee earlier, provided for the employment of more staff to
improve its service. Some of these new immigration officers would be dedicated
to assisting with the refugee issue, and "will go a long way towards reducing
the backlog". Donkoh said the UNHCR was glad to see that there was commitment
from government in the form of an increased budget for the department and plans
to recruit more people to boost the capacity of the refugee section and open new
offices at South African border entry points. She said this was a difficult
task, not only from an administrative point of view but also in the
decision-making process. The civil conflicts in Africa, particularly in
Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Angola and Somalia, have
displaced hundreds of thousands of people far beyond their borders. SA has
actively shared the humanitarian burden since 1994 by allowing people fleeing
from armed conflict into the country and giving them access to asylum.
Immigration revamp on the way (Business Day, 29/06) - Cape Town Big changes
to the Immigration Act have been tabled in Parliament, which will see the home
affairs minister and his director-general given far wider powers in determining
immigration policy in SA. The effect of the amendments will be to shift the
exercise of power in implementing immigration law from the Immigration Advisory
Board to the minister and director-general. In the past the board, which plays
an advisory role on immigration policy, had the right to review all decisions of
the department and the director-general. This falls away in terms of the
Immigration Amendment Bill. The draft bill, approved by the cabinet last week,
is the culmination of a protracted battle between former home affairs minister
Mangosuthu Buthelezi and President Thabo Mbeki, that was also fought out in the
Cape High Court. The court ruled shortly before the April elections that
Buthelezi's controversial immigration regulations be withdrawn. A memorandum
accompanying the bill says the amendments seek to address "a number of defects"
in the original act caused by its hurried passage through Parliament last year,
as well as concerns raised by the department resulting from its experience in
implementing the act during the past year. A further amendment removes the need
for the minister to solicit public nominations for "civil society
representatives" on the Immigration Advisory Board and gives the minister the
right to name the chairman of the board. A new section dealing "comprehensively"
with immigration regulations removes the requirement for public comment and for
the minister to respond in footnotes to the regulations. The bill lists the
matters the minister may regulate, to address concerns raised by the state law
advisers that several existing regulations are "ultra vires" (beyond legal
authority). Another section dealing with adjudication and review procedures is
also repealed as the "provisions thereof are cumbersome and makes effective
immigration control unachievable". To bring the legislation into line with other
legislation, powers and functions are attributed to the director-general and not
the department. The amendment also empowers the director-general to withdraw any
temporary residence permits "under certain conditions". Two new sections dealing
with visas and transit visas are proposed and stipulate under which
circumstances a foreigner is required to have a visa or transit visa. "This will
make the process of determining which countries are visa-exempt simpler and
enable proper consultation by the minister with other government stakeholders,"
says the memorandum. On issuing corporate work permits for certain industries,
the minister now has the power to designate those industries that qualify, which
previously rested with the labour minister. The bill also does away with the
need for the director-general to report annually to the minister and inform the
board on the measures and proposals aimed at increasing "the efficacy,
efficiency and cost- effectiveness of the department, as it is felt that this
cannot be done through this act". The legislation seeks to remove the provision
that prevented recording the entry to and departure from the republic of
citizens. It proposes that all businesses offering accommodation keep a register
of all foreign guests. It also states explicitly that the renewal of a visitor's
permit "shall be for a further period of three months". "This (the three-month
period) will curb the tendency by some foreigners to apply for the extension of
a visitor's permit many times over", says the memorandum.
Buthelezi "follies" erased in fresh immigration bill ( Cape Times, 29/06)
- New Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is set to table major
amendments to the Immigration Act that eliminate many of the controversial
provisions her predecessor sought to implement. The Immigration Amendment Bill
was certified by the state law adviser on Friday and is to be tabled this week
so the national assembly's home affairs committee may begin processing it during
the winter recess. The drafting of the original amendments took four years,
pitting then-minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi, leader of the IFP, against his ANC
counterparts in cabinet and in parliament. The chairman of the home affairs
committee, Patrick Chauke (ANC), confirmed yesterday that his committee would
sit during the recess so the amendments could be approved in August. President
Thabo Mbeki has set a deadline of three months for the amendments to become law.
The changes are a temporary measure, however, as the country's immigration laws
are to be rewritten. Home affairs officials said the proposed provisions would
go a long way towards attracting sorely needed skills and investment to the
country. Several provisions the ANC considers Buthelezi's follies have been
diluted or deleted. The Immigration Advisory Board's powers would be curbed,
reducing it to a purely advisory body. It would no longer have powers to review
the decisions of the department or the director-general. It would also include
representatives of the national intelligence co-ordinating committee and
department of justice and constitutional development. Moreover, the minister
would no longer be expected to solicit public nominations for the civil society
representatives on the board. Another proposed provision that brought Buthelezi
into conflict with the ANC, including Johnny de Lange, then-chairman of the
national assembly justice committee - the establishment of immigration courts -
has been deleted. Any reference to immigration courts has been removed, ensuring
that any reference in the legislation to courts means the magistrate's courts
alone. The controversial Section seven of the Immigration Act, which dealt with
the making of regulations and was the subject of a court case, has been removed.
This removes the requirement for public comments and for the minister to respond
to each of these in footnotes to the regulations, according to a memorandum to
the bill. The bill also provides for simpler application and appeal procedures
and removes the controversial provisions relating to chartered accountants. Once
the measure becomes law, illegal foreigners would be allowed to be detained at
police stations and other places not under the control and administration of the
home affairs department. The director-general would not be able to determine the
places at which illegal foreigners could be held. The memorandum accompanying
the bill says a new clause dealing with visas and transit visas is intended to
simplify the process of determining which countries are exempted from visa
requirements. This aspect was a bone of contention between Buthelezi and ANC
members of the cabinet earlier this year. President Thabo Mbeki went to court
over controversial regulations gazetted by Buthelezi, who was accused of acting
in bad faith. Buthelezi was opposed to a proposal by Foreign Affairs Minister
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma that citizens of several developing countries would be
allowed to enter South Africa without visas. The court case was widely regarded
as the death knell for Buthelezi's place in the cabinet. He was not returned to
Mbeki's cabinet after the April election.
Buthelezi criticizes draft immigration Amendment Bill ( SABC News, 29/06) -
The draft Immigration Amendment Bill recently published by the home affairs
department "shows an autocratic attitude which goes beyond the field of
migration control", Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the IFP leader, said today. Buthelezi
warned that it would be extremely detrimental to the capacity of South Africa
for acquiring foreign skills. "Market forces dynamics currently supporting the
issuance of work permits will be replaced by the discretion of the department,"
he said. He added: "It makes work permits necessary for a broad range of
business activities, which now are accommodated in terms of a visitor's permit
without the need for labour certification or other 'needs test'. "All the
guarantees limiting the role and input of the Department of Labour will be
eliminated so that each work permit will need to go through a tortuous and
lengthy process. "The most concerning feature of the Bill is that it abolishes
the process of regulation-making based on necessary public participation and
notice and comments. "Buthelezi said he understood that "even though there is no
urgency, the intention is to push this Bill through by the end of August".
UK slated for stealing doctors (Daily Dispatch, 29/06) -
Britain's state health service has a "shameful record of exploitation" in
relying on doctors trained in other countries, the chairperson of the British
Medical Association said yesterday. James Johnson, a vascular surgeon, said it
was wrong that the National Health Service remained dependent on doctors from
countries such as South Africa and the Philippines, who sorely needed every
doctor they could get. "Throughout the history of the NHS, we have relied on
other countries to fill our NHS manpower gaps - both for nurses and doctors,"
Johnson told a doctors' conference at Llandudno in Wales. "As the fourth largest
economy in the world we are still doing so, still taking doctors away from
countries like South Africa and nurses from the Philippines who need them more
than we do. "It's a shameful record of exploitation. "Surely after over half a
century of the NHS we should be producing enough doctors to look after our
patients. "Johnson praised the work of doctors from India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh in the NHS over the last 40 years, saying they had received "scant
acknowledgement" or "suffered outright discrimination".
Cape Town heaven for some, but hell for others (This Day, 29/06) -
It is a typical day in the middle of Cape town: two brothers from the Ivory
Coast sit in a patch of sun in the public park adjoining parliament while a
Dutch couple take photographs of a squirrel climbing an oak tree. Since
apartheid ended in 1994 Europeans and North Americans have been visiting Cape
Town as tourists and in recent years have been buying up some of the city's most
valuable properties. But Cape Town is also becoming home to African immigrants,
who come to this city at the tip of the continent to find work and start a new
life. "We came to Cape Town on a ship ten days ago, but we are still looking for
jobs. Cape Town is a beautiful place and we have heard that there is a lot of
money to be made here," one migrant said. Unlike Europeans and North Americans,
Africans Immigrants face an uncertain future in Cape Town, which has a
population of roughly three million, 51 percent of whom are coloured, 30 percent
black and 18 percent white. Anglican Archbishop Njonkulu Ndungane says that poor
African immigrants are changing the face of Cape Town, established in 1652 by
the Dutch administrator Jan van Riebeeck. "Often these people are not even
recognised by the government social welfare departments, they do not qualify for
social grants and are not cared for by non-governmental organizations and
churches," Ndungane said last week. Many of the immigrants will end up in one of
the poverty-stricken shantytowns surrounding Cape Town. the shantytowns exploded
in size when migrants labourers came to Cape Town from the neighbouring poverty
stricken Eastern Cape when apartheid ended in 1994. the site of the thousand of
tin and wood shacks backing on to the highway to Cape Town international airport
is often the only contact most visitors will have wityh poverty in the city.
Last year British musician Dave Stewart told journalists of his horror drive
into Cape Town. "People ask me if I've been to Cape Town.. that it's really
beautiful." "And people are saying it is much better than before. And I think,
'Christ, what was it like before?' The extremities are really scary... it's like
a vision of hell," he said. Yet less than 20 minutes' drive from the shacks,
life is completely different. Visitors take a leisurely trip in a cable car up
the flat-topped Table Mountain to enjoy the view of the Table bay and Robben
Island when Nelson Mandela spent a lifetime in prison for fighting against
apartheid, or they spend the day at a vineyard or lazing on one of Cape town's
beaches. Tourist numbers to the city have rocketed in recent years. Last year
more than 1.5 million people travelled to the city, according to Cape Tourism.
The boom in tourists has led to a surge in new restaurants and hotels to cater
for visitors and the city's wealthy population. the movie industry has also
boomed, with large-scale Hollywood productions using the city as a stand in
location for California or Europe. The Cape Film Commission says foreign film
productions spend more than R2 billion in Cape Town last year. Estate agents are
raking in profits from wealthy foreigners looking to pick up properties in the
city at what to them are bargain prices. The real estate company Pam Golding
says it sold more than a billion dollars worth of houses mainly to Europeans and
North Americans last year, a significant portion of which was from sales in Cape
Town. Investors have recognized the city's potential too. Recently a group of
Irish businessmen announced details of a property venture, in which they plan to
invest R500 million to turn the city centre into a European-style "old city',
with luxury apartments, cobbled streets and pavement cafes. Most of Cape Town's
properties, restaurants and tourism facilities are out of reach for the majority
of the city's black population. It is something that Western Cape premier
Ebrahim Rasool has promised to change. Rasool said last week that he wants
low-cost homes built in suburbs with medium and high cost houses to make the
city more racially representative. "We need to push forward and start
integrating spaces racially by building mixed-use housing," he said. "We need
social inclusion and this means the way in which we use the space in our
municipalities." But immigrants like the Ivorian brothers can be sure they will
not be getting any official benefits from the city.
Foreigners not to blame for property prices (This Day, 28/06) -
Foreign ownership of South African property is to blame for the country's
spiralling property prices. Instead, it is currently one of the best ways on
increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) into South African, while also
providing direct benefits to the country's poor, a property expert says. Patrick
O'Shea, chief executive officer of Engel and Volkers Western Cape, an
international real estate company, says less than 8 percent of property
purchases are made up by foreigners. He says many of these "foreigners" are, in
fact, "expatriates returning to South Africa". He says foreign investment should
be encouraged, while government and the banking sector should simultaneously
develop incentives to increase first-time home ownership. This would assist
previously disadvantaged members of the community to share in the wealth
creating process. O'Shea says as the country's post 1994 middle class emerges
and formerly disadvantaged groups buy property in historically white areas,
demand is far exceeding supply, forcing prices upwards. Property prices
increased by an average of 22.7 percent over the past year. this demand, coupled
with the favorable economic climate created by government's well-managed
monetary and fiscal policies, is one of the major reasons for the huge
escalation in property prices in the below R1 million category. "Foreign
purchases generally do not buy in the broad, widely affordable market pegged at
below R1 million. In fact, typical foreign buyer activity ranges from R3 Million
upwards and is mostly focused on coastal and golfing estates," he says. O'Shea
urges government to reconsider plans to limit foreign property ownership buyers
bring FDI cash into South Africa as they are obliged by law to provide 50 per
cent of the capital of their purchases here." Foreign buyers also employ
architects, builders, domestic workers and other lower skilled workers. "This
direct impact on the local economy could be even better FDI option than the much
sought after large corporate FDI investments which might not have such a
broad-based direct impact on the poor," he says. By considering restrictions on
foreign property ownership in South Africa, government could be cutting off the
hand that is helping to increase wealth - and job creation in the economy.
Stop pandering to foreigners (City Press, 27/06) -
There was time in history when quoting Karl Mark enhanced one's revolutionary
image. And because that era is image. And because that is now history - I quote
Marx at my own peril. Marx, the great critic of capitalism, once wrote: 'It is
not the consciousness of man that determines his social being but, on the
contrary, his social being that determines consciousness." I understood, and
still do, this to mean that the environment shapes our thinking and not the
other way round. In other words, the environmental pressures that we expose
ourselves to, influence the way we think. In the run up to the general election,
President Thabo Mbeki said he had seen the face of poverty. He said direct
communication with the ordinary people had opened his eyes to the extent of
poverty in the country. Those were encouraging words because he offered hope to
the poor. Hope that tomorrow will be better than yesterday. One would have
expected that after increasing its majority, Mbeki's ANC would use its mandate
its programme to address the legacy of apartheid, especially the economic
imbalance. This expectation was further fuelled by Mbeki's State of the Nation
address when he spoke about the urgency of promoting black economic empowerment.
But, following a meeting with international investors, the government has begun
to speak with a forked tongue. First came reports that the government intended
to relax BEE conditions for international investors. Later the government issued
a statement to clarify the perception that multinationals would be exempted from
empowerment conditions, saying that there would be no blanket exemption for
multinationals. The statement then went further to say that each multinational
would be judged on its merits. Predictably, the relaxation of the BEE commitment
was welcomed by big business. They now know that despite public pronouncements,
the government will accommodate those who, resisting the requirement to take on
a black equity partner, threaten to pull their investment out of the country.
This could be dangerous. Local business people might argue that they are
expected to compete with unhindered multinationals who invest in the country,
while they are expected to abide by legislation that exempts multinationals. If
left, unchecked, BEE will be still-born. But why is the government pussyfooting
around BEE? The governments has been bombarded by opinions from the captains of
industry. They have lobbied against a clear-cut policy for BEE, arguing that it
is a major business risk. On the face of it, the argument cannot be dismissed
lightly. They argue that an investor who has to choose between a country which
has no conditions, and South African which wants him or her to provide equity to
blacks - will not find us an attractive investment destination. Perhaps instead
of focusing on black millionaires, government should promote job creation, which
will benefit more people and reduce the high levels of poverty, the arguments
goes. The government, being continually exposed to views propagated by big
business, is likely to bend over backwards to accommodate potential investors.
the concerns of the poor, those who have almost nothing to show but their
ability to vote, are pushed aside. They are not an immediate threat in the
broader scheme of things. Unlike those investors whose withdrawal could have a
negative effect on the market, the poor having only a limited capacity to rock
the boat. This honeymoon period, government selectively ministers to business
concerns while ignoring the legitimate expectations of the poor, has only a
limited life-span. If the multinationals were sufficiently far-sighted, they
would realize that their long term success is linked to the creation of a strong
black middle class. If they accepted this, they would desist from their myopic
approach of trying to sabotage BEE - there is a viable alternative to BEE. It is
not simply a nice-to-have feature, it is a business imperative. One only has to
look up north to appreciate the disaster that was created by a revolution that
failed to produce the desired economic benefits for the majority - long after
liberation. Given the fact that the voice of the left, speaking on behalf of the
poor, has little power, government policy is being hijacked by the rich, some of
whom are foreigners. Currently there is a huge row about suggestions that
foreign ownership of land be limited. It was a call by government for debate on
the matter that generated the furore. The dissenters are implying that
government should not even debate the issue, for this in itself would threaten
foreign investment, the life support of South Africa. It is time for the left to
lobby government.
Foreign ownership plan misguided, say agents (Cape Argus, 27/06) -
Government plans to hold talks on limiting foreign ownership of real estate in
South Africa to combat spiraling land and property prices are misguided, say
property industry spokesmen. Ian Slot, Western Cape regional and national
committee chairperson of Seeff Properties, described the move as xenophobia.
"Xenophobia is xenophobia, irrespective of whether it surfaces in informal
settlements or in Camps Bay. Where are the empirical studies or evidence to
prove that foreign ownership is in fact pushing up prices? Even if this were the
case, where are the studies showing that this is bad for the economy, or for the
country as a whole? "If the land and agricultural minister Thoko Didiza is
quoted correctly through her spokesperson, then she is inviting us to
participate in talks about a potential solution to the problem - but she hasn't
established that there is in fact a problem 'Xenophobia is xenophobia,
irrespective of whether it surfaces in informal settlements or in Camps Bay' .
It is like deciding what medicine to prescribe without bothering to find out if
anybody is sick," said Slot. "If government wants to get involved in real estate
it need not concern itself with that end of the market - they should address the
concerns of those who want to get into the market for the first time. We
reiterate our call for a subsidy for first-time buyers, using the money that has
poured in from the transfer duty, VAT and capital gains tax that is being
generated by this active property market. "Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive of
the Pam Golding property group, said the timing of the statement was
"unfortunate", coming soon after Irish investors had announced that they were
pouring millions of rands into the Cape Town CBD. "The claim by the spokesperson
for the minister that foreigners are responsible for price increases and making
property unaffordable for South Africans is highly questionable," said Dr
Golding. He said less than 1% of all properties sold in South Africa were bought
by foreigners and that they accounted for about 10% of sales by Pam Golding
Properties, which has a significant share of the foreign buyer market. "The
other side of the story is that investment by foreigners is an overwhelmingly
positive phenomenon, and President Mbeki has said he is trying to encourage
foreign direct investment," Golding said. He said property purchases by
foreigners also led to indirect investment in the form of spending on home
improvements, renovations, restaurants and hotels, which helped to sustain jobs.
"In addition, foreign buyers visit their home countries and become ambassadors
for South Africa - the positives are huge. "Dr Golding said foreigners may help
to drive up prices in certain areas, but that the property market was
overwhelmingly driven by local sentiment. Bill Rawson, chairman of the Rawson
Property Group, said complete unambiguous clarity on South Africa's attitude to
foreign property ownership - and, indeed, general investment in South African
assets by foreigners - was now absolutely essential following several months in
which "the President has given one message, while certain of his cabinet
ministers have given another". "Only those who have been overseas regularly,"
said Rawson, "will know just how damaging to investor confidence the kind of
ambiguity that has prevailed recently can be. "There is a lurking fear in the
minds of Europeans, Americans and others that, although South Africa undeniably
has one of the most enlightened constitutions in the world and although we in
theory respect land ownership and free market principles, in practice we might
still go the route of Zimbabwe or, more recently, the route that Namibia is
rumoured to be considering. "Investors have to be given a categorical assurance
on these matters - even if this does result in South Africa's left wing being
antagonized. "Rawson said talk of converting freehold to 99-year-old leases or
of limiting foreign ownership in one way or another, almost as if it is a
privilege to put one's money here, is not the message the market needs to hear.
Tony Bales, joint managing director of Churchill Murray Properties, said estate
agents may have to warn prospective foreign property buyers that government is
considering passing a law to limit the foreign ownership of land. "The code of
conduct for estate agents as scheduled in the Estate Agents Act 1976, section
4.1.1 states that agents have a duty to disclose to a prospective purchaser all
facts within his or her personal knowledge and which are or could be material to
the sale and or purchase of the property," says Bales. "The fact that government
has announced that it is considering limiting foreign ownership means that
agents need to disclose this knowledge which is hardly in the best interests of
making a sale. "Didiza's spokesperson, Nana Zenani, said one suggestion was to
introduce a system of 99-year leases for foreigners - but added that government
had not yet considered whether to make the law retrospective for existing
foreign title deed holders. Lawyers say such a law would not apply to foreign
property owners with permanent residence status. They add that any attempt to
deprive existing holders of freehold title deeds would clash with South Africa's
constitutional law. The announcement has been greeted with dismay by all
sections of the business community, with one political analyst saying that
talking about South Africa's delicate land issue in this way looked like a case
of "foot in mouth".
New Immigration Bill streamlines foreign recruitment (Sunday Independent, 27/06)
- Draft immigration legislation aimed at boosting investment and attracting
scarce skills through streamlining visa and immigration requirements has finally
reached parliament. This heralds the end of a four-year political and legal
battle over aspects of the urgently needed legislation and immigration
regulations. The bill was certified and tabled late on Friday, just in time to
ensure that it could be processed during the national assembly's winter recess
that started this weekend. Law advisers to parliament and the government are
hopeful this will enable the speedy finalisation of the legislation to meet the
deadline of three months laid down by President Thabo Mbeki after a saga of
delays and court challenges. The cabinet approved the Immigration Amendment Bill
this week. Enver Daniels, the chief state law adviser, said the bill was "a
marked improvement" over previous efforts. "It will facilitate attraction of
investment and scarce skills," he said. The provisions of the bill are likely to
please the business and investment communities, particularly because it will
make it much simpler for them to attract skilled workers. It is understood to be
the first of a two-stage process. Once the bill is finalised, plans are in the
pipeline to embark on a total rewrite of immigration legislation because the
language is regarded as too authoritarian. Among the improvements are simpler
application and appeals processes. The draft legislation does away with onerous
requirements - such as the one requiring would-be employment seekers to have
their financial status verified by a chartered accountant. This would make it
much easier for someone who wished to extend their work permit for a year. The
proposed legislation also makes it much easier to obtain visitors' and transit
visas, and makes provision for immediate and automatic appeal processes where
the visas are rejected.
KwaZakhele residents reach agreement (SABC News, 27/06) - Displaced Tsonga
residents of KwaZakhele squatter settlement in Rustenburg, who fled their homes
after a fierce clash with Xhosas, may now return home. A government initiated
mass meeting involving the two tribes has resolved to restore peace in the
trouble torn informal settlement. The department of home affairs and the police
are collaborating efforts for the reissuing of new IDs and travel documents to
some 40 Tsonga families, which were destroyed when their properties were
attacked. An assessment of further support that will be needed by the returning
families is to be conducted during the week. Both Xhosa and Tsonga have welcomed
the decision. Trouble at KwaZakhele was sparked by an alleged rape of a Xhosa
girl by a Tsonga boy.
Mbeki backs Didiza on foreign ownership review (Business Day, 25/06) -
President Thabo Mbeki rushed yesterday to the defence of Agriculture and Land
Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza, who has been fiercely criticised for suggesting
that the property rights of foreign investors in SA should be reviewed. Citing
99-year land-lease ownership limitations on foreigners in Canada and
Switzerland, Mbeki told Parliament that restrictions in these countries had not
scared away investors. Didiza raised the issue of foreign restrictions early
this week, drawing angry responses from opposition parties and organised
business. Mbeki took the debate further in his budget vote speech in Parliament
on Wednesday, warning South Africans against "neoliberals" who espoused the
sanctity of the market economy and property rights at the expense of the state.
Yesterday he again attacked Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon for criticising
Didiza on the land ownership issue, saying Leon was using "fear tactics" to
scare off investors. Mbeki accused Leon of attempting to frighten people with
false propositions to encourage opposition to the ruling party. "The minister of
agriculture was correct to call for a national discussion on the issue of
foreign land ownership. To stop this discussion, which will take place, Leon
seeks to frighten the country with the notion that restrictions on foreign
ownership are a red flag for foreign investment. "And yet many countries have
such restrictions. These include Switzerland and Canada, to cite only two. We
know of no reports that this has served as a red flag to the foreigners who have
invested in these countries." "Quite why Switzerland and Canada can have such
restrictions without frightening foreign investors, while similar restrictions
in our country would produce an opposite response from foreign investors, is
difficult to fathom," Mbeki said. SA's property prices climbed an average 24,3%
in the year to last month, accelerating from 19,8% the previous year, spurred
partly by foreign buying, particularly in coastal resort areas. Drawn by prices
that are still relatively low by world standards, Europeans, Americans and some
wealthy Africans have been snapping up seaside and houses in Cape Town, a major
tourist destination. Among these are the family of Equatorial Guinea's President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema, reported to have bought two luxury properties in upmarket
Cape Town suburbs. Analysts say that prices are up across the country, while
foreigners are buying only in higher-priced areas and are not responsible for
pricing Low-income earners out of the market. Mbeki accused Leon of trying to
obscure an understanding of SA's history in order to create space for "American
conservatism". He said that Leon wanted an economic policy for the country that
was about "a minimal budget deficit, lower taxation, a deregulated labour
market, privatisation, enterprise zones, opportunity vouchers and such. "To get
there, he believes that among other things he must convince us that the African
majority in our country was not oppressed and exploited as Africans but as
individuals and that the legacy of that impacts on this majority not as Africans
but as individuals. "If this has any meaning, it constitutes a vain attempt to
eradicate our history. "Accordingly, the Africans as a national group did not
and do not exist. "What we had and have are merely individual Africans, who were
oppressed as individuals and who suffer from the legacy of racism as
individuals." This meant Africans had not gathered together to fight against
oppression. All this was the "celebration of individualism" and an attempt to
create a society in which "individuals shoulder their burdens and exercise their
rights alone", Mbeki said, quoting British author and journalist Will Hutton. "I
do not know what will happen to the honourable Leon when he wakes up one day and
discovers that there are individual Africans who belong to the African national
group, that there are individual workers who belong to the working class, and
that there are individual capitalists who belong to the capitalist class, and
that each of these has all along been combining to act together exactly because
they shared common interests as racially defined groups, or for that matter (as)
classes," he said
Dual passport use to be curbed (Business Day, 25/06) - Cape Town South
Africans with dual nationality who use their second passport to enter or leave
the country will be breaking the law in terms of the proposed South African
Citizenship Amendment Bill. The bill will impose a fine or up to 12 months'
imprisonment on such citizens who might also try to gain an advantage or to
avoid a responsibility or duty by using their second passport. The bill will
also remove a "frustrating" apartheid-era provision that allowed South African
citizens to travel on passports of other countries while overseas. It means that
letters of permission that have allowed them to do so fall away, and they will
no longer apply for exemptions from Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula. The National Council of Provinces' select committee on home
affairs was told yesterday that the bill's provision to repeal a section of the
South African Citizenship Act was necessary because the section clashed with the
constitutional provision that "no citizen may be deprived of citizenship".
Eugene Kritzinger, the home affairs department director of citizenship and
travel documents, told the committee it was virtually impossible to police the
use of foreign passports by citizens outside SA. Kritzinger said the system of
letters of permission to make use of a foreign passport was introduced during
the apartheid years because many countries refused entry to visitors with South
African passports. Since 1994 this system had been reviewed, and an amendment to
the legislation was passed in 1997 that allowed the minister to grant exemptions
if there were "exceptional circumstances" to warrant the use of a passport from
a second country. Kritzinger said that in 2003-04 there were 11500 exemptions
granted, compared with more than 15000 the previous year. Scrapping this system
would mean a loss of revenue of just more than R1m, but at the same time it
would remove a "frustrating" aspect of the act. "Several complaints were
received over the years that section 9 of the act was unconstitutional and also
impractical as the use of a foreign passport by a dual citizen outside SA cannot
be effectively policed," he said. Kritzinger said that it was important to pass
the legislation "fairly urgently".
Cape Town's new immigrants (Mail&Guardian, 25/06) - It is a typical day
in the middle of Cape Town: Two brothers from Côte d'Ivoire sit in a patch of
sun in a garden while a Dutch couple take photographs of a squirrel climbing an
oak tree. Since apartheid ended in 1994 Europeans and North Americans have been
visiting Cape Town as tourists and in recent years have been buying up some of
the city's most valuable properties. But Cape Town is also becoming home for
African immigrants, who come to this city on the tip of the continent to find
work and start a new life. "We came to Cape Town on a ship ten days ago, but we
are still looking for jobs. Cape Town is a beautiful place and we have heard
that there is a lot of money to be made here." But unlike Europeans and North
Americans, African immigrants face an uncertain future in Cape Town, which has a
population of roughly three million, 51% of whom are coloured or mixed race, 30%
black and 18% white. Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane says that poor
African immigrants are changing the face of Cape Town, established in 1652 by
Jan Antony van Riebeeck, who was sent by the Dutch East India Company to
establish a trading post on the shores of Table Bay. "Often these people are not
even recognised by the government social welfare departments, they do not
qualify for social grants and are not cared for by non-governmental
organisations and churches," he said at church service this week. Many of the
immigrants will more likely end up in one of the poverty-stricken shantytowns
surrounding Cape Town. The shantytowns were set up by local migrant labourers who
came to Cape Town from the neighbouring poverty stricken Eastern Cape province
when apartheid ended to find work. The site of the thousands of tin and wood
shacks backing onto the highway to Cape Town International Airport is often the
only contact most visitors will have with poverty in the city. Last year British
musician Dave Stewart told journalists of his horror drive into Cape Town.
"People ask me if I've been to Cape Town... that it's really beautiful," he
said. "And people are saying it is much better than before. And I think,
'Christ, what was it like before?' The extremities are really scary... it's like
a vision of hell," he said. Yet less than 20 minutes drive from the shacks, life
is completely different. Visitors take a leisurely trip in a cable car up the
flat-topped Table Mountain to enjoy the view of Table Bay and Robben Island,
where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, or
they spend the day at a vineyard or lazing on one of Cape Town's beaches.
Tourist numbers to the city have rocketed in recent years. Last year more than
1,5 million people traveled to the city, according to the official Cape Tourism
agency. The boom in tourists has led to a surge in new restaurants and hotels to
cater for visitors and the city's wealthy population. The movie industry has
also boomed, with large-scale Hollywood productions using the city as a stand in
location for California or Europe. The Cape Film Commission says foreign film
productions spent more than two billion rand ($316-million dollars or €260
million) in Cape Town last year. Estate agents are raking in profits from
wealthy foreigners looking to invest in property in the city. The real estate
company Pam Golding says it sold more than a billion dollars worth of houses
mainly to Europeans and North Americans last year, a significant portion of
which was from sales in Cape Town. Investors have recognised the city's
potential too. Last week a group of Irish businessmen announced details of a
property venture, in which they plan to invest R500-million to turn the city
centre into a European-style "old city", with luxury apartments, cobbled streets
and sidewalk cafes. Most of the Cape Town's properties, restaurants and tourism
facilities are out of reach for the majority of the city's black population. It
is a something that Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool has promised to change.
Rasool said this week that he wants low-cost homes built in suburbs with medium
and high cost houses to make the city more racially representative. "We need to
push forward and start integrating spaces racially by building mixed-use
housing," he said. "We need social inclusion -- and this means the way in which
we use the space in our municipalities." But immigrants like the Ivorian
brothers can be sure they will not be getting any benefits from the city.
Hospital to cut surgery as Nurses quit (Business Day, 25/06) - Groote Schuur
Hospital is poised to slash the number of operations it performs due to a
shortage of nurses, says hospital senior medical superintendent Dr Saadiq Kariem.
About 36 patients a week could be affected by cuts to the operating list at the
hospital, which is also one of SA's leading tertiary institutions. "The impact
on patient care will be phenomenal," Kariem said. Patients are also likely to
have longer waits for operations. The shortage has led to a relaxation of the
public service and administration department's rules on hiring nurses who had
taken voluntary severance packages, Kariem said. Usually nurses who take
retirement packages cannot be rehired by the state, but for the past year
Western Cape has been successfully applying to the department on a case-by-case
basis to bring skilled nurses back into the system. Shortages are most severe
among specialist nurses, such as those working in intensive care units and
operating theatres. The province has 1638 vacant nursing posts, while Groote
Schuur has 143 vacant nursing posts a vacancy rate of 9%. The nursing shortage
is being felt in both private and public sectors as these professionals migrate
to better paid jobs in countries like Saudi Arabia, the UK and more recently the
US. Kariem said Groote Schuur had tried to alleviate its nursing shortages by
using private sector nursing agencies, but these agencies were now also unable
to meet the hospital's demand. "It's not that we don't have the money, we just
can't find the nurses," said Kariem . Groote Schuur had even considered asking
doctors and registrars to step in for specialist theatre nurses, he said, but
the hospital had since decided against this for legal reasons.
Mbeki backs land restrictions (This Day, 25/06) - President Thabo Mbeki lent
his authority yesterday to calls for restrictions on the ownership of land by
foreigners. Mbeki told the national assembly that Thoko Didiza, land affairs and
agriculture minister, was right to raise the issue and that a national
discussion on foreign land ownership would take place. Didiza said a fortnight
ago that high property prizes were making it difficult for South Africans to
afford land in some areas and that the government was considering restricting
foreigners to 99-year leases instead of freehold title. Mbeki took up the issue
in response to remarks on Wednesday by the DA leader Tony Leon, who told
parliament that these proposals were "a red flag to foreign investors." "Many
countries have such restrictions," Mbeki said yesterday, including Switzerland
and Canada to cite only two. "Quite why Switzerland and Canada an have such
restrictions without frightening foreign investors, while similar restrictions
in our own country would produce an opposite response, is difficult to fathom,"
he said to applause. But economists and estate agents questioned the logic
behind the proposal, saying there was little evidence that foreign buyers were
the cause of rising prices. John Loos, a senior economist at Absa, said
residential property prices were driven almost entirely by domestic demand. "The
signals coming from government are confusing. On the one hand they're saying we
don't have enough foreign direct investment; on the other they're saying that in
property we have too much." Mick Joyce, managing director of Pam Golding
Properties in the Western Cape, said that data showed that less than 1 percent
of property was sold to foreigners. "Even in the most desirable coastal
game-farm areas, 90 percent of the appreciation is driven by locals," he said.
Pam Golding, which specializes in property at the upper end of the price
spectrum, sold about 10 percent, or R1 billion, of its R9,5 billion sales to
foreigners last year. Joyce said he believed a debate on the subject need
accurate data and should involve everyone involved in the issue. Patrick O'Shea,
managing director of Engel and Volkers, said prices were being pushed up by
increased demand from the black middle class, weak performance of other asset
classes and rising building costs. Foreign buyers had little effect on the lower
end of the market and other measures to improve affordability should be
considered. Meanwhile, the DA has called for the financial intelligence centre
to investigate the purchase of two properties in Cape Town by the son of
President Teodore Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea. THISDAY reported yesterday
that Nguema's likely heir was buying a R23,5 million bungalow in Clifton. A
local radio station reported yesterday that the family had spent R26 million on
another house in Bishopscourt, Cape Town. Raenette Taljaard of the DA said
yesterday that the US was investigating allegations of money laundering by
members of Nguema's government. "Given the US investigations ... it's entirely
appropriate for the FIC to probe these property transactions," she said.
Priest arrested for marriage scam ( Sunday Times, 24/06) - A priest from
Durban who is suspected of certifying fraudulent marriages of non-existent
brides to Pakistani men. Two other suspects, believed to be the ringleaders of
the syndicate that arranged the marriages, were arrested while trying to process
marriage certificates at the Home Affairs offices in Pietermaritzburg. Several
South African and Pakistani identity documents together with signed marriage
certificates were seized.
Six held in two separate drug busts (This Day, 24/06) - Police intelligence
have made a breakthrough in cracking two major drug trafficking syndicates, one
of which is linked to a South American racket. Police arrested four Nigerians at
Johannesburg International Airport yesterday. They were disembarking from a
flight from Sao Paulo. The men, who were carrying false Ivory Coast, Equatorial
Guinea and Gambian passports, had allegedly ingested pure cocaine to the value
of R25 million. The bust came as a result of a six month under cover operation,
in conjunction with police in Columbia, Brazil and Peru. Jackie Selebi, the
national police commissioner, supervised the operation and flew to South America
to cement co-operation with the authorities there. Police believe the
investigation, known as Operation Cobra, was behind the spate of death threats
last year against crime intelligence head Rayman Lalla. In another investigation
police arrested two men on a farm at Ingogo near Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal and
seize more than two tons of methaqualone powder - also with a street value of
R25 million - used in the manufacture of Mandrax. Polcie also seized several
thousand Mandrax tablets and about R40,000 in cash. One of the men is believed
to be drug syndicate boss. the drug crackdown forms part of the investigations
President Thabo Mbeki referred to in his May state of the nation speech when he
vowed that the country's top 200 criminals would be arrested in the next few
months.
Clampdown on immigration specialists (Business Day, 23/06) - SA has
introduced stringent rules for immigration practitioners, making it the third
country after Australia and the UK to regulate immigration law specialists. The
regulations are in line with SA's new Immigration Act. The introduction of the
rules followed repeated calls by the industry to act against unscrupulous
consultants who were prejudicing clients, Julian Pokroy, chairman of the
Immigration Law Specialist Committee of the Law Society of Northern Province s,
said on Monday. Immigration practitioners assist immigrants with the legalities
of entering SA. Pokroy said that about 108 practitioners had already passed the
first immigration test written in February. More than 150 specialists were
expected to be registered by end of the year under the new immigration laws, he
said. Registered practitioners would have to meet a number of requirements to
stay in business, he said. For example, a practitioner would need professional
liability insurance cover of at least R500000 . A police clearance certificate
of not older than six moths would have to be provided to the Association of
Immigration Practitioners of SA. In terms of the new policy, applications for
all forms of temporary residence and permanent permits would be processed only
by lawyers, advocates and immigration practitioners. Attorneys and advocates are
subject to their own rules of professional conduct under the auspices of the Law
Society of SA and the General Council of the Bar respectively. Pokroy said the
new regulations would deter consultants who had set up practices and presented
themselves as specialists in immigration law, without being subject to any code
of professional conduct. He said that in the run-up to the act being passed, the
committee had proposed that immigration law should be reserved solely for
lawyers. The new law would exempt attorneys and advocates from having to
register as immigration practitioners, he said. "Other people (such as
unregistered consultants) will have to register as immigration practitioners,"
Pokroy said. The second immigration law test was written on June 10 and the
results would be made available shortly .
Four-year old girls target for sex trafficking (SABC News, 23/06) - South
African children as young as four years old are being targeted for sex
trafficking. This was revealed by Molo Songololo, a non-governmental
organisation (NGO), at the conference Against Sex Trafficking in Benoni on
Gauteng's East Rand today. International researchers, law enforcers and legal
experts are delegates at the summit. Although sex trafficking is often
associated with cross-border operations, a study by Molo Songololo has revealed
that this crime is also occurring within the country's borders. A research by
Molo Songololo indicates that children between the ages of four and 17 are being
targeted for sex trafficking. The organisation's Debra Mobilyn says children
from rural areas and those living on the Cape Flats are especially vulnerable.
Research also indicates that women from Eastern Europe are being lured to the
country as part of commercial surrogacy schemes. Lowesa Stuurman, an advocate
from the South African Law Reform Commission, says although women may engage in
these transactions willingly, they are often unaware of the full implications.
This issue is one of many providing difficulty to be defined in the drafting of
legislation around human trafficking. According to Stuurman, the absence of
trafficking legislation also means that victims of this crime are being deported
to their countries of origin without the necessary support. Delegates have also
raised their concern about the lack of services available to victims of human
trafficking in the country. Zodidi Tshotsho, a doctor from the department of
social development, says requests for adequate funds for these services will be
submitted to Parliament soon. This will form part of the department's Victim
Empowerment Programme The conference draws to a close tomorrow with the drafting
of an action plan on the way forward. Discussions over the past two days,
however, have made it evident that legislation around human trafficking will be
the first step towards fighting the crime.
Long-term solution to end violence in Rutensburg (BuaNews, 23/06) - The
provincial government is to set up lasting solutions to ensure the end of
"ethnic" violence that wreaked havoc at Zakhele and Freedom Park settlements
near Rustenburg recently. North West MEC for Safety and Liaison Maureen
Modiselle said this during her budget vote in the provincial legislature
yesterday. The informal settlements had over the past month been subjected to
"ethnic" tension between the Tsonga-speaking Mozambicans and Xhosa-speaking
residents. The violence started after a teenager had allegedly raped a young
Xhosa girl, leaving two people dead, shacks razed by fire and some property
looted. Several people have since appeared in court on several charges. The MEC
said her department had facilitated a multi-disciplinary study during 2001/02 to
investigate the socio-economic factors contributing to conflicts and crime in
areas surrounding the Rustenburg Platinum Mines. "A report compiled and produced
by the Conflict Resolution Consortium recommended further actions towards the
resolution of the conflicts," she explained. The project, Ms Modiselle said, had
been successful because of a joint effort by the Rustenburg Municipality,
Rustenburg Platinum Mines and the Royal Bafokeng administration. "The conclusion
of this project is expected early July this year and will set concrete
development plans for all informal settlements in Rustenburg," said Ms Modiselle.
Ms Modiselle said the project's conclusion would help in improving the life
conditions of the affected people while creating a good environment for crime
prevention.
Trafficking flourishes in SA (Mail&Guardian, 23/06) - Trafficking in
humans is the third most lucrative crime in South Africa next to drugs and
weapons, a statement ahead of a conference said on Friday. At least 500
organised gangs are involved, and researchers have found that trafficking has
brought children into prostitution and debt bondage. Mozambican women have been
sold as wives and domestic labourers to mineworkers, babies are trafficked for
adoption and people are trafficked for ritual multi killings. South Africa is
also a destination country for women and children from Kenya, Latvia, Malawi,
Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Taiwan, Thailand, Romania, Russia and Zambia. It
is a country of origin for Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union,
said a statement from Shared Hope International, a non-governmental organisation.
The most affected include: children from Lesotho where thousands of children
have lost their caregivers to HIV/Aids, women and girls from Mozambique and
Malawi. Thai, Chinese, and Eastern Europeans, South African children kidnapped
or taken into gangs. "We are here to stand with the South African leadership by
joining our purposes in fighting this global trade. It is absolutely necessary
for governments [and NGOs] to develop a shared vision and capacity if we are
going to put a stop to this modern form of slavery," said Linda Smith, founder
of the War Against Trafficking Alliance. The alliance and South Africa's
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will hold the "Next Steps to Path Breaking
Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex Trafficking in South Africa"
conference, the fifth follow-up to a world summit held last February. In
December the NPA formed a task team and so far 10 investigations are underway.
The South African Law Commission is also circulating draft legislation on
trafficking for consideration in 2004 and police formed an anti-trafficking team
at the Johannesburg airport, said the NGO. The three-day conference will launch
the agenda of the task team. It is expected to be launched by Justice Minister
Bridgette Mabandla, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National
Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka.
South African a human trafficking hub (Mail&Guardian, 23/06) - "I am
young -- but up here is old," says an 11-year-old girl working as a prostitute
in Cape Town, pointing to her head -- one of many images in hard-hitting footage
on the sex industry, screened at the opening of a conference on human
trafficking in South Africa on Tuesday. The three-day conference, "The Next
Steps to Path Breaking Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex Trafficking",
is sponsored by a global coalition of non governmental organisations (NGOs)
called the War Against Trafficking Alliance and the South African National
Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The gathering will help to compile the agenda of a
national task team constituted to combat human trafficking in South Africa, and
is the fifth follow-up of a world summit held in the United States last year.
South Africa is a destination for women and children from Kenya, Latvia, Malawi,
Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Taiwan, Thailand, Romania and Zambia, said United
States congresswoman Linda Smith, the founder of the global coalition, at the
opening of the conference. Children are trafficked either for sexual
exploitation or for labour. Smith, quoting last year's US state department
figures, said there were 2 000 children in debt bondage in South Africa.
According to Interpol, sex traffickers earn an estimated $19-billion annually.
"It is difficult to put a figure to the value of trade in Southern Africa, as we
have only just begun investigating it," said Jonathan Martens of the
Geneva-based NGO, International Organisation for Migration. A pimp in Cape Town,
South Africa's tourism capital, who supplies eight- to 11-year-olds to sex
tourists mainly from the US, Britain and Japan, commented in the film that
children are sometimes tied with barbed wire and told to perform sexual acts on
adults. The footage was shot by the global coalition of NGOs. According to the
South Africa-based child rights activist organisation, Molo Songololo, 25% of
prostitutes in Cape Town are children. While the film alleged that child
prostitution in Cape Town was run predominantly by a Nigerian syndicate, Smith
said Russian, Bulgarian and Chinese crime groups were other major players in the
human trafficking business in South Africa. The country's attractive First World
conditions -- "clean water, good schools for their children" -- were luring
trafficking traders to the country, said Smith. Senior state advocate Nolwandle
Qaba of the NPA, who heads the national trafficking task team, said they had
identified "six pillars of the South African counter-trafficking strategy":
"information; capacity-building and development; victim support and integration;
legislation and policy; monitoring and evaluation; and liaison and
consultation". The new task team, chaired by the NPA, comprises the departments
of home affairs, justice, social services and labour, the organised crime and
border police units of the South African Police Service, the United Nations
Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Molo Songololo and IOM. None of the countries
in Southern Africa have domestic legislation outlawing human trafficking. Senior
legal crime expert in UNODC's Southern Africa office, Uglijesa Zvekic, said the
UN body would launch a regional project in September to enable members of the
Southern African Development Community to implement the protocol of the UN
Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The legal instrument, which
was adopted by the General Assembly on November 15 2000 and came into force on
December 25, 2003, provides the first internationally agreed definition of
trafficking and requires countries to criminalise such activity. Through a
series of workshops, Zvekic said, the project would "advise on drafting and
revising relevant legislation; provide advice and assistance on establishing and
strengthening anti trafficking offices and units; and train law enforcement
offices, prosecutors and judges". UNODC also planned to set up a programme in
Mozambique next year to prevent trafficking in human organs.
South Africa regional centre for human trafficking (UN Integrated Regional
Information Networks, 23/06) - South Africa is the regional centre of
an intricate trafficking network that recruits women and children from
Mozambique, Angola, Malawi, Thailand, China, Eastern Europe and even as far
afield as the East Asian city of Macau, according to the Geneva-based
International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Trafficking in the region is
conducted by four broad groups - organised crime, businesswomen, sex tourists
and refugees, said IOM's Jonathan Martens in his presentation to a conference in
Johannesburg, South Africa. The conference on 'The Next Steps to Path Breaking
Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex Trafficking', sponsored by a global
coalition of NGOs called the War Against Trafficking Alliance and the South
African National Prosecuting Authority, ends on Thursday. About 1,000
Mozambicans are smuggled into South Africa every year, earning traffickers
approximately one million rand (about US $159,223) annually, according to
Martens. Trafficking figures for Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in the
region, were the only ones available for Southern Africa. Mozambican women are
recruited either through a "passive" or an "active" method by organised groups
or minibus-taxi operators. The passive method targets female passengers already
en route to South Africa. In the active method, traffickers offer women jobs as
waitresses or sex workers in Johannesburg and charge R500 ($80) to smuggle them
from the Mozambican capital, Maputo, through the Komatipoort or Ponta do Ouro
border posts to South Africa. "The women stay in transit houses along South
Africa's border with Mozambique and Swaziland for a night, where they are
sexually assaulted as an initiation. They are then smuggled into Johannesburg
and are kept in safe houses in Soweto and Lenasia until they are sold to
brothels in Gauteng or KwaZulu-Natal for R1,000 (about $160)," Martens said. The
women are also sold as wives to South African men for R650 (about $104).
Malawian women are targeted by trafficking groups because they do not require a
visa to enter the United Kingdom. Initial recruitment takes place through
Malawian businesswomen, who are linked to the smuggling syndicates. Young women
are lured by promises of job opportunities in Europe. Upon arrival, as the IOM
discovered in the Netherlands, the women are sold to brothel owners for $10,000,
and told they must work as prostitutes to pay off their debts. "The initiation
process involves a ritual used to threaten the women," Martens said. They are
asked for underwear, hair or nail clippings and threatened with death by magic
if they do not cooperate. The IOM discovered that some brothels even brand or
tattoo the women. European sex tourists recruit children in Malawi in the
country's holiday resorts. "The tourists will often exert influence on the
parents with expensive presents and promises of education and employment for
their children in Europe," Martens said. Recruited children feature in
pornographic films, which are often shot in Malawi and shown on the internet.
The children are then used as sex slaves in private homes or sold to pedophile
rings. "During our study we did not come across any children who had returned or
had maintained contact with their parents," Martens said. Malawian businesswomen
also recruit young women from rural areas and sell them across the borders to
South Africa, while truck drivers lure them with promises of employment or
marriage. South African women, who work as strippers or sex workers, are
recruited by Chinese trafficking rings who advertise similar jobs in Macau, a
former Portuguese colony, promising earnings of between $10,000 and $20,000. The
women are made to sign contracts written in Chinese characters and then smuggled
through Hong Kong to Macau, where they are sold to massage parlours for $500.
"The traffickers impose an escalating debt burden, running into several
thousands of dollars. The women are fed once a day, denied access to a
telephone, and have no contact with the outside world," Martens said. In South
Africa, Thai and Chinese groups recruit women from their home countries with
promises of jobs in restaurants, or an unrealistic picture of the money to be
earned in sex work. The women are flown to neighbouring countries and smuggled
in to South Africa by land, where they are forced to work 15 to 16 hours a day.
Their escalating debt burden usually ranges from $7,500 to $12,500. The Russian
and Bulgarian mafia traffic Russian and East European women on fraudulent South
Africa visas after luring them with similar job offers. "These women are often
well educated. Once they get here, debt burdens of $12,000 to $15,000 are
imposed on them," Martens said. If the women refuse, their families are often
threatened with violence. "Refugees are both victims and perpetrators of
trafficking in South Africa - they are unemployed and choose to recruit female
relatives (aged from 25 to 45) from their countries of origin to South Africa,"
said Martens. The refugees are predominantly from Angola, the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Ethiopia, and have as associates members of
the same clan. These associates act as couriers, delivering the letter of
invitation to the female relative and sexually assaulting her as an initiation
in to sex work. "This is a small-scale operation - a refugee will take on only
one woman. She is not allowed to go home until she has made R250 for the day,"
Martens said. The IOM launched the Southern African Counter-Trafficking
Assistance Programme (SACTAP) in January this year. The programme is aimed at
assisting trafficked persons with care and support for a three-month period,
including the option to return to their homes. SACTAP expects to be expanded
fully into the Southern African region next year.
Disgraced SA doctor expelled from Canada (Mail&Guardian, 23/06) - John
Schneeberger, the disgraced South African doctor jailed for sex crimes and
stripped of his Canadian citizenship, on Monday lost his fight against expulsion
from the country. An immigration Board hearing in Regina took less than 10
minutes to declare him an undesirable alien and order his deportation.
Zambian-born, South African-raised Schneeberger, now 42, and his family came to
Canada in 1987 and settled in Kipling, a small western farming town with a
population of about 1 000 people. The highly popular doctor's secret life began
to unravel in 1992, when a patient told police he had anaesthetised, undressed,
raped and dressed her again before the injected narcotic wore off. The narcotic,
it later turned out, was a drug called Midazolam. Laboratory tests failed to
produce a DNA match between semen taken from her underwear and a sample of his
blood. At his trial, Schneeberger described the way he thwarted science -- by
making an incision on the inside of his left arm and inserting a plastic tube
filled with a male patient's blood. He then insisted on having the sample drawn
from the "vein," even though a tiny drop from a finger would have sufficed. He
sexually attacked another woman on two separate occasions, but the judge
dismissed additional charges of "improper use of drugs" in her case. A TV
documentary titled I Accuse follows his first victim, Candice Foley, then 23,
who found herself ostracised by a small-town community that resented her "false"
charges against one of its most respected members. She moved to another town,
Red Deer, and told her story to a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police
detective. He believed her, broke into the doctor's car, where he found a lip
balm stick. He took a smear from it. A minute trace of saliva in the smear
contained DNA matching that of the semen. Recently released after serving the
mandatory two-thirds minimum of a six-year prison sentence, Schneeberger had his
Canadian citizenship revoked for his failure to admit being under criminal
investigation at the time he applied for it. His wife, Lisa Dillman, divorced
him after it transpired that he had sexually molested his stepdaughter when she
was 13.The board left open a decision as to whether Schneeberger will be sent to
South Africa or Zambia.
Mozambicans in Limpopo Province (Mail&Guardian, 23/06) - The province of
Limpopo bears witness to the successful , integration of the only massive influx
of refugees in modern day South Africa, where Mozambicans fleeing a , brutal
civil war have become part and parcel of the local people. The hordes of
Mozambicans who descended on South Africa to flee the ravages of the civil war,
which started in , 1976, totalled about 320000 when a peace accord was , signed
in 1992 to end the conflict. In the northern Bushbuckridge district of the
predominantly, agricultural province of Limpopo, one out of four people are of
Mozambican origin. Today there are no distinctions between them and the locals.
The high school in the village of Clare has some 500 . pupils of whom 60% are
the children of Mozambican . refugees. "I feel I am a South African," Jito
Lubisi (16) declared, proudly. He was born in South Africa two years after his,
parents fled their native land. Peters Matebulan, a 44-year-old South African
teaching ! English and biology, echoed the teenager, saying: "There is no
dot-line any more." Matebulan said a testimony of this was borne out by the fact
that the pejorative term "maputi" -- a corruption of the name of the Mozambican
capital Maputo -- had gone out of currency with students. In a neighbouring
village 64-year-old Sebastiao Sibuyi recounts the conditions that forced him to
flee his native land in 1985. "There was a lot of fighting and a lot of shooting
close to our home," he said. "People were being killed" and there was mass rape.
Almost 20 years down the line Sibuyi has become an Induna -- a respected title
signifying the head of the village. A key factor facilitating the successful
integration was a common language, Shangaan, and similar cultural mores, said
Tara Polzer, the director of the rural research project of the forced migration
studies programme conducted by the Witwatersrand University. But there are also
historic reasons which explain the hassle-free integration in one of South
Africa's poorest provinces where three out of four families live on earnings of
less than R400 (51 euros) a month. The region was the heart of the apartheid-era
Bantustans or African homelands, where the black majority was shunted out by the
white racist government which wanted to keep the races well apart from each
other. Polzer said the "irony" of the situation was that the homelands offered a
really "welcoming environment" to the refugees in stark contrast to the
closed-door policy of Pretoria. After the fall of apartheid, the social
integration was followed by legal integration due to a series of laws and
bilateral accords. In the mid-1990s, 10% of Mozambicans who fled their country
returned home but the majority preferred to stay on in South Africa and gained
permanent residency, status. Melita Sunjic, public relations officer of the UN
High Commissioner for Refugees, said: "It shows that refugees actually can be
absorbed quite smoothly into the body of the population." But the going may not
be as smooth for other refugees. Although South Africa, the continent's biggest
economy, does not have a single refugee camp. it faces a major challenge now
with the arrival of new refugees from trouble spots or poor countries such as
Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Loren Landau,
research coordinator and acting director of the forced migration studies
programme conducted by the Witwatersrand University said local and national
authorities had been in "a state of denial" over this phenomenon since 1994.
"South Africa wants to be a regional leader and this means it will continue to
attract immigrants, both legal and illegal, as well as refugees," Landau said.
Police crack fraudulent marriage ring (This Day, 23/06) - A doctor in Durban
has allegedly used the identities of dying HIV-Aids patients to organize
fraudulent marriages to secure permanent residence for foreigners, a police
investigation has revealed. Detective Inspector Mtu Mbhele, the investigating
officer, said earlier this week that a sophisticated syndicate operating from
plush offices in Durban, had made about R3 million over the past two years. The
syndicate used a number of methods to arrange the fraudulent marriages,
including: - recruiting South African women to marry foreigners; - stealing the
ID details of women who applied for non-existent jobs, and stealing the ID
details of dying HIV-Aids patients. Detectives who infiltrated and cracked the
syndicate seized records showing that more than 350 Pakistani men had benefited
from the scam. The men paid about R9,000 each to "marry" South African women,
which qualified them for permanent residency. Police also plan to arrest a
priest who acted as a marriage officer in most of the cases. In some cases the
priest certified the weddings even when the bride was not there or the ID used
was not of the person attending the ceremony. He deliberately turned a blind eye
and processed these marriages which is illegal for a marriage officer to do,"
said Mbhele. Police, who learnt of the scam after receiving a tip off, began to
close the net around the syndicate last week when they arrested a Pakistani man
after he tried to obtain a residency permit at the department of home affairs.
"These people have genuine marriage certificates, which they present when
applying for the permits. It is very difficult for officials to pick up when
processing the papers," Mbhele said. The man, whose identity has been with held
because more arrests are expected, had a marriage certificate that showed he was
married to a woman who loved in Inanda, north of Durban. Detectives traced the
woman and found she had full-blown Aids and was "very sick." "She was never
married and did not know that her surname had changed to Bahir," said Mbhele.
Detectives expect to arrest the doctor soon. He works at a provincial hospital
in KwaZulu-Natal. Police believe he stole 10 patients files and sold the details
to the agent who ran the scam. Mbhele said six Pakistanis involved in the scam
had already been convicted and deported since last year. "There are about 15
other cases, which the accused are dragging through the courts at the moment,
and we hope for a successful conviction that will lead to deportation," he said.
Police also arrested four South African women this weekend who recruited young
women to marry Pakistanis or who stole people's identities. Two of the women
would turn state witnesses when the trial begins, police said. Some of the young
women recruited to marry foreigners are believed to have been paid a fee of R500
and then another R200 every month until the permit was granted. Other women were
conned into submitting their ID details when applying for non-existence jobs.
"One of the women who was promised a job found that she had been married when
she went to open a clothing account and was told that her surname had changed.
"She went to the department (of home affairs) and found that she was married on
the same day that her ID had been taken by a woman who had promised her a job,"
Mbhele said. Lesley Mashokwe, a spokesperson for the home affairs department,
said if knew of scames where the identites of South African women were issued in
fraudulent marriages as a precursor to obtaining permanent residence in the
country. "We have issued a directive to all our regions to be more vigilant and
that such marriages are scrutinised first before being processed," he said.
Aids-stricken nurse inspires miners to seek treatment (This Day, 22/06) -
Only a few years ago she was a t death's door, bedridden with full-blown Aids.
Today Noluthando Mbete leads a successful prevention and antiretroviral
programme at Harmony Gold's Randfortein mine on the West Rand in Gauteng. The 48
year old nurse has become an inspiration to her colleagues at the mining
company's Randfontein Cooke 3 shaft and many workers say they are no longer
hesitant to take the HIV-Aids test. They also feel motivated to help fight the
spread of the disease once they know their status. Because of the living and
working conditions, the South African mining sector has long been a breeding
found for the disease. Historically, miners migrated from far-flung areas,
including neighbouring countries, to live onsite in single-sex hostels. Many of
these men see their families for as little as a month a year and so prostitution
has become a thriving business at the mine hostels. Some engage in unprotected
sex, further aiding the spread of disease. South Africa has the world's largest
group of people infected with HIV-Aids, numbering a little more than 5 million.
Mine officials say about 28 percent of miners are HIV positive. Faced with
impending crisis, the mining houses and the trade unions launched awareness
campaigns to prevent further infections. The campaigns encourage miners to get
tested and provide them with free treatment if they are infected with HIV. Mbete
is considered to be a vital link in her employer's programme and doctors have
credited her for increasing the number of workers who seek testing. Mineworkers
usually do not cooperate with this type of programming because of the stigma
attached to the disease. But Zandile Mokgatle, Harmony Gold's group chief
medical office, told a visiting THISDAY team that Mbete had almost
single-handedly changed the workers' perceptions of the disease. "they find it
easy to relate because in her they see someone who has been through it all" Said
Mokgatle. "When I am stuck in a counseling session. I just tell the patient:
'Would you like to meet someone who is in the same position as you?" The results
have always been positive." she said. Mbete has become a minor celebrity among
her colleagues and her photograph can be found alongside many Aids- awareness
posters. Mbete was born in the Eastern Cape and has two children. Relating her
story, she said that like many people infected with the disease she first
refused to undergo an HIV test. "I used to be a carefree, naughty person," she
said. She was in denial and feared being stigmatised by her colleagues, friends
and relatives when her health inevitably deteriorated. In October 2001, after a
persistent illness, she was encouraged to take a test and get the necessary
treatment. Two weeks after starting antiretroviral treatment she was back on her
feet. She also gained weight and has put on more than 20 kg since starting the
treatment. Harmony started implementating its HIV-Aids programme in 2002. With
the help of mine hospital officials, Mbete opened a mobile "wellness clinic"
last December. She ran it from the boot of a car, and booked herself as its
first outpatient. the mobile clinic opened the way for the mine programme and
now forms part of the company's broader Aids programme. The programme has been
extended to all of Harmony Gold's mines in Gautent, the North West and the Free
State. The programming includes door-to-door education campaigns at the mines
and recruits peer educators. It also boasts three mobile clinics which were
donated by USAid, an US government programme. The number of new patients
receiving counselling and treatment at Mbete's clinic grows almost daily.
"Judging by the symptoms from which I myself had suffered, I could see that a
lot of people were infected and [I] started a drive to teach them about the
importance of taking treatment, "Mbete said.
Land Minister considers curb on foreign ownership (Cape Times, 22/06) - Land
and Agriculture Minister Thoko Didiza plans to start talks on limiting foreign
property ownership in the country to put the brakes on escalating prices and
make home ownership affordable for South Africans .Didiza's spokesman Nana
Zenani said yesterday the government had decided to open dialogue on the issue.
"We need to look at the affordability of land because South Africans can't
compete with foreigners and their dollars, who want to buy property in the
coastal and other areas, because of the exchange rate. We need to ease the
pressure," Zenani said. An option under consideration was to convert
foreign-owned title deeds to 99-year leases. Zenani could not confirm whether
the step, if adopted, would be implemented retrospectively. "We have not got to
the discussions, so for now it is just a consideration (of the idea). Other
options will come out of the discussions," Zenani said. The Department of
Agriculture and Land Affairs is researching foreign property ownership to
establish how much land is in foreign hands. Property developers, estate agents,
farmers' unions and other government departments would be invited to the
dialogue, which would start before the end of the year. However, economists and
estate agents have argued that foreign buyers have no effect on the middle and
lower ends of the market. Rather, it was the influx of upwardly mobile black
South Africans pushing up the demand for and prices of property, they said.
There were no fears of a Zimbabwe-style land grab. Tradek economist Mike
Schussler said any move to limit foreign ownership would stifle foreign direct
investment and force foreign buyers to go underground using front companies and
nominees. "I don't think foreigners will want 99-year leases. Foreigners should
be able to buy land. "If we want overseas investment we need to be as investment
friendly as possible. "South Africans are also making a profit selling property
at a high price to foreigners and that is money that will stay in the economy
for a while. "Poor people are unlikely to be looking to buy property in areas
foreigners are going to buy in. "The government does a lot of things right, but
this doesn't make sense," he said. Schussler said the government needed rather
to look at ways of unlocking untapped capital in townships, where banks were
still reluctant to lend because it was not easy to evict defaulting debtors. "It
would unlock a lot of our middle-class wealth and we would see a lot more upward
mobility than black economic empowerment has given us. It should remain an open
market, foreigners should be allowed to buy in and people's property rights
should be protected," he said. Brent Townes, CEO of Sotheby's International
Realty, which deals largely with foreign cash buyers, estimated that foreigners
owned at most 8% of local property. "We do not have foreigners buying in the
R250 000 to R500 000 end of the market and that is where the demand is and where
there is a shortage of stock. That market is being fed by local people with real
incomes," Townes said. "Foreign people buy in specific pockets ... They are not
significant purchasers of properties up to the R1 million mark. How can such a
small percentage have such a big swing in the market? "The property market is
growing because of the economy and jobs. There are real forces at play. The
foreign market is not distorting prices, the price inflation must and will
continue," he said.
Why I fled from home to South Africa (Daily News, 22/06) - Tears streaming
down his face, 64-year-old Sebastiao Passe Sibuyi shakes uncontrollably as he
recalls the day he fled his Mozambican home hours after finding his six children
butchered. Sibuyi and three friends from a village in central Mozambique had
been ploughing their field in 1983 when they returned home to find their
families massacred. Sibuyi's children - Hannah, Sibuyi, Claude, Mathebula,
Castro and Lizata, ranging in age from 12 to five - had been hacked to death
with machetes before their bodies were put on display. Castro and five-year-old
Lizata had been decapi-tated and their genitals mutilated. The others had shot
in the back of the head and their bodies hacked with pangas. They were among 24
girls and boys killed in Sibuyi's village by Mozambican soldiers during that
country's civil war in the 1980s. The wives of the all the men were abducted and
have never been seen by their husbands since they fled more than 1700km to South
Africa 11 years ago. Of the six men who fled with Sibuyi, only two survived the
journey through minefields and the marauding rebel groups who hunted down the
estimated 320,000 Mozambican refugees who fled to South Africa. Recounting his
horrific journey, Sibuyi said that they were determined to survive so that they
could reach South Africa. "I knew that if I was caught I would be killed, like
my children. I had no choice but to flee to South Africa," he said when asked
why he had settled in South Africa. Living now in Limpopo's Bushbuck Ridge, with
2 500 Mozambican families, Sibuyi, who is now an induna in his village, said
throughout the journey they had been pursued. "We met hundreds of people in the
bush. It was like the migration of animals with everybody fleeing for their
lives. "Sometimes you could hear people screaming at night when they were being
tortured by the soldiers who caught them," he said. Asked what it had been like
settling in South Africa's then homeland of Gazankulu, Sibuyi said at first it
had been hard. "Everything was so new and different. We were chased from several
villages by people who said we brought death with us and that we were thieves,
but eventually we were taken in by villages living near the mountain," said
Sibuyi, pointing at the Blyde River Canyon mountains. Since settling in South
Africa, Sibuyi has endured many hardships, including the death of his best
friend, South African Johannes Ndlovu, who took him in and helped him build a
house. Asked if he would go back to Mozambique, Sibuyi said no. "I have nothing
there for me. My children were killed and my wife stolen. "South Africa is my
home and I am a South African and I will do anything for my country," he said,
proudly displaying his newly acquired South African Identity Document.
Explaining the difficulties experienced as a former Mozambican refugee living in
South Africa, Sibuyi said: "There are many, such as receiving money and housing
grants especially because of those who steal from the government which has
allowed us to stay," he said. Sibuyi was referring to several Mozambican
"businessmen" who allegedly exploit the country's social welfare system by
taking the money from their grants back to Mozambique with them every month to
sustain their families in that country. "These few people bring us trouble,
making it difficult for us and our South African neighbours, who need the grants
to survive," he said. Sibuyi said despite these difficulties they lived in
harmony with their South African neighbours, with many Mozambican women and men
marrying South Africans. "Life here is very good. We are at peace and survive
despite the hardships we have to endure. I will never return to Mozambique as
this country is now my home and I am a South African."
Human trafficking growing in SA (SABC News, 22/06) - Human trafficking is
growing in South Africa. This was revealed by the War Against Trafficking
Alliance at the conference against sex trafficking in Benoni, on the East Rand.
Linda Smith, the founder of War Against Trafficking Alliance, says children are
often the victims being used as prostitutes. Smith's fight against human
trafficking was triggered by a jarring experience during her visit to India. "I
ended up holding a young girl, about 11. That was the age of my granddaughter.
My granddaughter is playing with her friends at home and I realised that this
girl was being used in prostitution and I can do something for her or leave,"
said Smith. Between two and four million people have become human cargo, putting
up to R120 billion into traffickers' pockets every year. Experts at the
conference say South Africa should take the lead in Africa to combat this.
"South Africa is significant in the region, because it's a destination country
for trafficking persons, while also a source country and a transit country for
women and children are trafficked to other parts of the world, including Asia,
Europe and North America," Jonathan Martens of the International Organisation
for Migration said. Thoko Majokweni, the head of the sexual offences and
community affairs, says measures to combat the crime are in place. "We actually
established an inter-departmental trafficking task team which is going to lead
the processes," said Majokweni. Legislation that regulates the criminilisation
of sex trafficking in the country is expected to be issued later this year.
Anger and despair as gold mine dies (This Day, 22/06) - There is a
feeling of hopeless anger at the country's oldest operating gold mine, ERPM,
which faces the closure of its underground operations within 10 months at the
cost of 2600 jobs - and there is no prospect of a reprieve. On a wall at the
entrance to the dilapidated mine's head office is a plaque commemorating the
reopening of ERPM in March 2000 after it had gone into liquidation. "Today marks
the historic reopening of East Rand Proprietary Mines and celebrates the glory
and pain of the working masses and entrepreneurs of our country," the plaque
reads. Four years later the strong rand has crippled those lofty sentiments.
Nearly half the mine's workers are from neighbouring countries and some dread
the thought of leaving South Africa and the labour that has sustained their
families. "I feel very angry. There is nowhere I can go to get another job. I'm
going to suffer and so is my family," said Jaoa Come, 46, a Mozambican who has
12 dependants in Maxixe, Inhambane province. He has worked on the Boksburg mine
since 1975, rising to the rand of development team leader but his chances of
being employed by another gold mine are slim. ERPM's back has been broken by the
strong rand, which has cut the price earned by local miners for their gold to
only R79,300 a kilogram from above R100,000. The rand has forced a large swathe
of the industry into marginal territory where their costs are nearly matching
their revenue. In the last three months of 2003 the mine produced 25,239 ounces
of gold at a cash cost of R84,669 a kilogram. "It will take a huge amount of
capital to make [underground operations] viable, safe and stable," said Michael
Marriott, EPRM's operations direction. "In the current environment it does not
make sense to inject huge amounts of capital," he said, estimating the amount
that would be required at R450 million. The mine, more than a century old, has
problems that make extracting its gold difficult and expensive. it has difficult
geological and seismic characteristics and ERPM must spend millions of rands
each month pumping out underground water, something the government recently
stopped subsidizing. The mine has already had a scare: in late 199 it went into
provisional liquidation. It was nursed back to life and Durban Roodepoort Deep,
together with black empowerment group Khumo Bathong Holding, bough it for R90
million in late 2002. A last minute rescue is unlikely, contrary to the hopes of
some workers who believe there might be a reprieve, given the mine's history.
"I'm not aware of any formal approach by any white knights but if there are any
out there they would certainly be most welcome," Marriot said. Workers are still
digesting the news after being told last week that their jobs will be of
reclamation and asset disposals begins. "I'm not happy. I've got nothing to do
when the mine closes. I'll go look for another job and not only in the mines,"
said Anastacia Mokhomole, 22, a South African who started working at the mine in
October 2002. She earns R1300 a month to support her baby and four other jobless
dependants. The company rejected four plans put forward by a consultative forum
on the grounds that they were not economically viable. JJJ Pieterse, on the mine
for 18 years, worries whether he can keep his old mine house where he provides
for three people. "I don't believe they can just evict us. We just don't know
what to do."
Talks over foreigners owning land in SA (This Day, 21/06) - The government
plans to start talks on limiting foreign ownership of real estate in South
Africa to combat spiraling land and property prices. Options under consideration
include converting foreign-owned title deeds to 99 year leases, Thoko Didiza,
the land and agriculture minister, said last week through her spokesperson Nana
Zenani. She said she was unable to say if such a stem could be imposed
retroactively. A broad range of stakeholders, including property developers,
estate agents, farmers' unions and other government departments would be invited
to join a "dialogue over foreign ownership," she said. She said many South
Africans could no longer afford high land or property prices. Talks were
expected to start "by the end of the year", she said. The British high
commission was not prepared to comment on possible measure to regulate foreign
property ownership in South African. "The UK has no restriction on foreign
ownership of land or property," said Nick Sheppard, the high commission's
spokesperson. Property experts were alarmed by the government's plans and
disagreed with the view that foreigners influenced prices. Erwin Rode, a
property economist, said halting foreigners from owning real estate was not
about the pricing of property, but about "chauvinistic paranoia". Rode said
foreign investors' influence on prices was insignificant, except perhaps in Cape
Town. But even if they did influence prices it was not the government's business
if somebody wanted to pay R20 million for a property in Clifton. "The mere fact
that the government is opening discussions on this will make the red lights
flash in overseas markets," Rode said. "We must make up our minds. do we want
foreign investment in the economy or don't we? "For the life of me I cannot see
the difference between investing in South African equities and bonds of
investing in South African real estate. "If we limit real estate foreign
ownership, why not limit other investments?" Andrew Golding, chief executive of
the Pam Golding property group, said it would oppose any plans to limit foreign
ownership unless research proved that foreign ownership of real estate was
negative for South Africa.
UN body urges SA to take care of refugees ( Business Day, 21/06) - Until
city officials establish administrative programmes addressing access to housing,
health and education for refugees and their families in SA, their living
conditions will remain poor, says the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR). Marking the World Refugee Day yesterday , the commission
called on governments and host communities in SA to contribute towards helping
refugees find a place they could call home during their stay in exile. UNHCR
representative in SA Bemma Donkoh said until such time as they were either able
to return or find other solutions, refugees needed a place where they could live
in dignity. Refugees in SA come from Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra
Leone, Somalia and also Sudan. She said despite backlogs, the home affairs
department was increasingly improving its services and shortening the waiting
periods for documentation of refugees. However, she said many cities and towns
were hardly aware of their expected role in helping to integrate their guests
with local citizens. Donkoh said city development had to take account of migrant
concerns in drafting social and economic strategies. However, while refugees
were supposed to enjoy the human rights culture guaranteed under the South
African constitution they were being left to fend for themselves in a xenophobic
environment and were unable to get employment. "The UNHCR has given priority to
advocating for refugees' access to social grants, and has supported the idea of
granting to asylum seekers the right to work," she said. Donkor said refugees'
new lives were characterised not only by a sense of loss and separation from the
past, but also by the confusion and uncertainties of struggling to adapt to new
lifestyles and challenges.
DRC Minister find safe haven in SA (Sunday Times, 20/06) - Two Congolese
cabinet ministers accused by the United Nations of looting their country's
mineral wealth under the cover of civil war have established havens for
themselves in South Africa. The pair have been exposed by two South African
businessmen who have successfully sued the government of the Democratic Republic
of Congo for breach of their contracts. They say they have uncovered a network
of Congolese assets in South Africa. Frans van Jaarsveld of George and Frans
Rootman of Pretoria say that the Congolese assets are controlled by Augustin
Mwanke Katumba, the DRC's prime minister, and Jean-Charles Okoto, the minister
for economic planning and a former defence minister. Both have been identified
in a report signed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in October 2002 as members
of "the elite network" of Congolese and Zimbabwean politicians and businessmen
illegally exploiting the DRC's mineral wealth, particularly cobalt and diamonds.
Okoto and Katumba (among other Congolese ministers identified in the UN report)
face arrest in Belgium, Germany, France and the UK for "pillaging" their
country's assets, in terms of a resolution passed by the European parliament in
January last year. Ironically, Van Jaarsveld and Rootman were initially
contracted by the DRC government to help crack down on fraud, theft and
corruption. Van Jaarsveld owns a company that provides forgery-proof
documentation and certification, such as passports. Rootman is a special
investigator who was hired by the DRC to trace cobalt stolen from mines in the
vast country. After the DRC defaulted on their contracts, both Van Jaarsveld and
Rootman, acting independently of each other, began investigating their former
clients, seeking out Congolese assets that could be attached and sold to honour
their contracts. Van Jaarsveld has been awarded judgment against the DRC for
2-million and Rootman for just under 12-million. Each was given a one-third
share of the proceeds of the sale of a Falcon civilian jet that was auctioned at
Lanseria Airport in October last year. Executive Outcomes, which controversially
provides security services to African governments, was awarded the other third
of the 1.9-million that was raised in the auction. This week the Rand Supreme
Court awarded Van Jaarsveld the right to attach shares in the Congolese mining
company Gecamines. Randburg attorney Marinus van Jaarsveld said this week that
the share certificates were probably held at the Midrand offices of Gecamines
Trading, but he had no idea whether he would be able to secure these for his
client. Uncertain as to whether he would be able to realise the value of the
Gecamines shares, Frans van Jaarsveld has looked elsewhere for Congolese assets.
His inquiries, and those of Rootman, led to the discovery that: Katumba is the
sole director of an off-the-shelf company called Kikukat Investments, with its
address registered as 35 Greenhill Road, Emmarentia, Johannesburg. However, a
visit to the address this week showed that it is in fact occupied by an "adult
shop" called L'Amour. Katumba is also registered as the owner of two residential
properties. One is at 134 Golf Club Terrace, Roodepoort, and the other is a 1
500m' in Constantia Kloof. Okoto owns a company called Unit 101 Barry
Hertzog, with its address registered as 137 Daisy Street, corner of Grayston
Drive, Sandown. He is also registered in South Africa as the president of
Société Miniere de Bakwanga (Miba), a DRC-owned diamond mining company, with
offices in Ernest Oppenheimer Drive, Bruma. In February 2004, international
media reported that a Belgian judge had issued an international warrant of
arrest for Okoto for allegedly misappropriating Miba funds to the value of
$80-million. "The question is, why do they have these companies in South
Africa?" Van Jaarsveld said this week. "If the DRC government does not know abut
these assets and companies, how do these people get money to purchase these
properties, invest and run companies in South Africa? The fact remains that the
system in South Africa is being exploited very easily by foreigners."
South Africa to hold forum on human trafficking (AngolaPress, 20/06) - A
three-day conference jointly organised by the South African government and the
War Against Trafficking Alliance opens here next Tuesday to discuss strategies
in the global fight against human trafficking in South Africa. The conference
will also launch the agenda of the newly developed National Task Team to combat
trafficking in persons chaired by the National Prosecutors Authority. The task
team is expected to facilitate a multi-sectoral response and cooperation in the
development and implementation of a national action plan to prevent trafficking
in human beings. Conference participants will include key leaders in government,
advocacy and direct services who will discuss creating concrete actions plans
for key components of the task team's agenda. South Africa is a country of
origin, destination and transit for victims of trafficking primarily for
purposes of prostitution and forced labour. Victims are trafficked from numerous
countries including Thailand, Romania, Mozambique and Lesotho, most of which are
facilitated by organised crime networks. South African women and children are
also victims of this trade, which is reportedly managed by the hands of Nigerian
rings. "This event will build upon existing efforts to strengthen capacity for
services and momentum of the South African government's efforts. It is
absolutely necessary for governments and direct service providers to develop a
shared vision and capacity if we are going to put a stop to this modern form of
slavery," former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith stated Friday. Smith, who is
also the founding President of Shared Hope International, a non-governmental
organisation, founded the War Against Trafficking Alliance. The conference,
scheduled on the theme "The next steps to path breaking strategies in the global
fight against sex trafficking in South Africa", is the fifth follow up event to
the world summit co-sponsored by the War Against Trafficking Alliance and the US
Department of State in February 2003 in Washington, DC. United Nations figures
show that 800,000 to 900,000 persons are trafficked across international borders
each year. This number however does not take into account trafficking within the
borders of a country, which pushes the number to between two to four million
trafficked internationally. Traffickers are estimated to earn up to US$19
billion annually. Organised criminal networks, including Nigerian gangs,
Chinese, Russian, and Bulgarian mafias, control most of the trafficking in women
and children in the region, said the International Organisation for Migration.
According to a study by Molo Songolo, South Africa is a destination country for
women and children from Kenya, Latvia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal,
Taiwan, Thailand, Romania, Russia and Zambia, while it is also a country of
origin for Canada, United Kingdom and the European Union. Trafficking in human
beings in South Africa was said to be the third most lucrative crime next to
trafficking in drugs and weapons and as many as 500 organised crime groups were
operating in South Africa.
Cops bust travel document ring (City Press, 19/06) - A team of South African
crime intelligence police officers worked for over nine months with British
police in London. This culminated in the arrests this week of an alleged
Zimbabwean-born mastermind forger who had been producing fake SA visas, identity
documents, birth certificates and passports. City Press can today reveal that
during "Operation Maxim" the SA police infiltrated the syndicate, which
allegedly owned a sophisticated industrial printing press with watermarks
capability that produced documents that looked genuine. Blank birth certificates
were found when police raided the premises this week. The machine was able to
reproduce thousands of lDs, visas and passports. Police crime intelligence head,
Commissioner Mulingani Mphego, told City Press in an exclusive interview that 20
people (12 men and eight women) were arrested in London this week. Among them is
Harry Wilson, a Zimbabwean-born naturalised UK citizen who is reputed to be a
billionaire. Wilson is described by police as "well acquainted with South
Africa", has travelled widely here and in other parts of the world and owns many
properties here and in the UK. Also arrested with him was another Zimbabwean,
Martin Slater, who was allegedly the passport carrier. Other arrests have been
made in Malaysia and Indonesia, Mphego said. The syndicate allegedly also had
South African operatives, and the arrest of at least another five people is
imminent. Mphego said South African documents were targeted because travel with
SA documents is easier through many centres of the world, especially the UK and
US, which have clamped down on the passports of many countries since September
11, 2001. The documents were allegedly not produced for South Africans but for
anyone who might have needed them. Money generated through the scheme was
allegedly laundered through properties in the UK, but South Africa was the key
channel, where a number of old-age homes were bought. The bulk was used to buy
heavy-duty and earth-moving vehicles from South Africa, which were then taken to
Zimbabwe. The syndicate allegedly also operated other businesses as fronts.
"These businesses may not even be profitable in themselves but would show a
profit through the money laundered through them," Mphego said. doing audits of
the properties in the two countries, Mphego said. The aim was to seize the
properties. Mphego said customers who approached the syndicate for documents
were vetted through "professional counter-intelligence methods of being followed
and monitored for a long period. "The operation was a very difficult one. It
took us almost a year of hard work. We had to get our people in there. If
someone went in saying they were an Afrikaner South African needing documents,
he had to be Afrikaner and speak with the right accent. "It was dangerous work
but we got our people right in there. It started because of concern by both our
country and the UK over the abuse of travel documents. "The key thing is that
these documents were not produced with the collusion of any South African
government official. This was not corruption of home affairs staff. These were
independent professional people who were producing these documents on their own
from their own machines. "South African documents are considered gold in that
market. The people who would need them therefore do not need to be heading for
South Africa but just needing travel documents that would lead to the least
number of questions and least suspicion when they travelled to wherever they may
be going. "People would also need the South African documents for naturalisation
in places such as the UK because of the relationship between South Africa and
the UK, which translates into easy access to permanent resident status," Mphego
said. Concern in government has been raised about whether these forged documents
could have fallen into the hands of terror operatives. Mphego said: "The
producers of these documents were not targeting any particular group. Anyone who
needed them and had the money could have had them. So we cannot say whether any
terror group got the forged documents."
Consulate comments on clashes involving Mozambicans (Agencia de Informacao de
Mocambique News, 18/06) - The Mozambican consulate in Johannesburg has
denied media reports that clashes in the mining region of Rustenburg, in South
Africa's Northwestern province, early this month, that claimed the lives of one
Mozambican and one South African, were caused by protests against the presence
of Mozambicans in the region. The Mozambican Consul, Mario Tembe, told AIM that
the incident was a tribal conflict between speakers of the Xhosa and Shangaan
languages, rather than a battle between South Africans and Mozambicans, as
reported by some media, including the local "Jacaranda Radio". Tembe said that
as soon as the Consulate learnt of those reports, it dispatched a mission to
Rustenburg to investigate, and it found the reports to be misinformed. He said
that there were indeed Mozambicans involved in the fighting, but simply because
they are Shangaan speakers, not because they are Mozambicans - Shangaan is one
of the main languages spoken in southern Mozambique, but there is also a
sizeable community of Shangaan speakers in South Africa. "During our
investigations we concluded that this is a longstanding rivalry between the two
language groups", said Tembe. The Consulate also found that the clashes were
sparked off by an incident involving a Xhosa girl. Tembe said that on 4 June, a
Shangaan-speaking man, who happened to be a Mozambican, was accused of raping a
Xhosa girl in the Rustenberg suburb of Freedom Park. The man, whose name was not
revealed, denied the accusation, and the girl's mother mobilised a group of
Xhosas for a fight against the Shangaans. It was described as a fierce battle,
with Xhosas setting ablaze the homes and other possessions of the Shangaans.
Tembe revealed that two people were killed, and more than 40 houses and many
vehicles were burned to ashes. Four of the vehicles were under repair at a
garage belonging to a Mozambican. Four people were wounded, and two pistols were
seized. The clashes led to the arrest of at least 26 people. Tembe said that the
Consulate's mission, that also included a team from the Mozambican High
Commission in Pretoria, identified more than 150 Mozambicans in the region. He
said that most Mozambicans lost their documents to the fire. "These citizens,
although they are there legally, have lost their documents. Our task, as an
institution that caters for the Mozambicans in this country, is to protect them,
and at this moment we are discussing with the South African authorities how to
get documentation for those who have lost it", he said. "We have met with the
Rustenburg municipal authorities to discuss ways to obtain documents for those
Mozambicans, and they promised us that the Interior Ministry will be directly
involved in the matter", he added. Tembe said that the measure could cover even
those Mozambicans who are found to be staying illegally in the area. He said
that those Shangaans who managed to flee during the fighting, took refuge in a
local Anglican Church, and are refusing to return to their areas of residence,
for fear of new conflicts.
Initiative to fight human trafficking (Irinnews.org, 18/06) - An initiative
to build collaboration between government and NGOs to fight human trafficking
will be launched at a conference in South Africa next week, according to the
activist body, War Against Trafficking Alliance. The three-day conference, "The
Next Steps to Path Breaking Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex
Trafficking, is sponsored by a global coalition of NGOs and the South African
National Prosecuting Authority. The Johannesburg conference beginning on 22 June
will help put together a newly constituted national task team's agenda on
combating human trafficking and is the fifth follow-up of a world summit held in
Washington last year. South Africa is a country of origin, destination and
transit for victims, who are trafficked primarily for purposes of prostitution
and forced labour. Refugees from neighbouring African countries, children from
Lesotho, women and girls from Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria,
Senegal, Taiwan, Russia, Thailand, Latvia and Romania are all trafficked into
South Africa. After drugs and weapons, trafficking in human beings is South
Africa's third most lucrative crime, according to the NGO, Molo Songololo, a
child rights advocacy group. Women and children from South Africa also make
their way to Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The global
coalition will also release video footage documenting sex tourism in South
Africa. "Leaders in the anti-trafficking movement must strive for balance in
their efforts to provide long-term service provision and successful prosecution,
conviction and sentencing for those who prey on the vulnerable," said founder of
the coalition, Linda Smith. "I believe this video will shock participants and
sustain the good efforts being made to put these predators behind bars."
SA citizens may be part of UK visa scam (Business Day, 18/06) - Police have
not ruled out the possibility of South African citizens being involved in an
overseas immigration visa racket , in which more than 1000 people entered the UK
illegally on student visas. Police issued a statement following Wednesday's
arrest of 20 UK nationals for their alleged involvement in the scam . The
arrests sparked fear that South African citizens might be involved in the UK
visa syndicate, after police visited a Durban property linked to the scam. It is
alleged that mostly South African nationals were issued with fraudulent student
visas, either by using counterfeit immigration stamps and false documents or by
registering them at nonexistent colleges. The South African victims allegedly
paid several hundred pounds to get a student visa for between six months and
three years, while the suspected ringleaders made at least £1m. Police
spokeswoman Sally de Beer said yesterday that while British police were raiding
several houses in London, South African police officials targeted a Durban
property belonging to one of the UK suspects. She said SA's crime intelligence
division had been co-operating with British police for the past five months,
assisting with their investigations. "The SAPS (South African Police Service )
will continue assisting the UK police with a view to the seizure of local assets
of the suspects," De Beer said. "At this stage, the possibility of any South
African citizen or official being involved has not been established, but, as
investigations continue, cannot be ruled out." However, the home affairs
department said yesterday it would not get involved in the UK investigations as
the issuing of visas was the prerogative of that country, and had nothing to do
with SA. "This is a British immigration law issue. Somebody has done something
with the British visas and it has got nothing to do with our passports," said
department spokesman Leslie Mashokwe . He said SA would help in the
investigation if South African passports were found to have been issued
fraudulently. He said the department would launch an investigation only when
South Africans in the UK were deported home and found to have used fake
passports when applying for their visas. De Beer confirmed that those arrested
in the UK were mainly British nationals, including naturalised citizens. "It
must be emphasised that this is a UK investigation involving a student visa scam
being run in and around London." The network behind the racket had been under
investigation for more than a year. But detectives believed it may have been
operating for several years, a British police official said yesterday. A
financial investigation was under way to recover any criminal assets. The South
African high commission in the UK said yesterday that it had inquired about the
investigation and was still waiting for feedback from the London metropolitan
police. UK police said most of the students had come to the UK in search of a
better life but that their status in that country was now under threat. They
also faced deportation to the country of their origin.
SA victims of UK visa scam face expulsion (Cape Argus, 18/06) - Hundreds of
young South Africans who thought they were in Britain legally could be forced to
go home after the arrest of 20 people in London over a student visa scam. The
fraudulently obtained visas brought more than 1 000 people, mainly South
Africans, to Britain. It later emerged in Pretoria that several Home Affairs
officials are suspected to be behind the scam. Detective Chief Inspector Steven
Kupis, who led yesterday's arrests in London, said those who had come to the UK
with the illicit visas were mainly South African, black and white. "They stand
to be returned to their country of origin if they are here illegally," he said.
"It is a matter for the Immigration Service and we are progressing with that.
"These people are victims. They have given up money, sometimes unknowingly, to
these people purporting to be agents. "They are losing not only their money, but
their right to be in this country." The UK operation was co-ordinated with raids
in Durban yesterday linked to the South African end of the scam. Director Sally
de Beer, in the office of the National Police Commissioner, said today none of
those arrested was from South Africa. "All of those arrested were British
nationals. "The South African detective and crime intelligence unit assisted the
British intelligence unit five months ago after a property was identified in
Durban which was linked to the British investigation." More than 120 officers of
the London Metropolitan Police specialist crime directorate swooped on 12
addresses across London and in adjoining Essex, including two suspected bogus
colleges. At the same time, detectives of the SAPS crime intelligence division
raided houses in Durban. The scam perpetrators are thought to have pocketed at
least £1 million (R11.6m).The arrested UK suspects - eight of them women - were
detained on suspicion of offences relating to helping people illegally enter and
remain in the UK, as well as money-laundering, a Metropolitan Police spokesman
said. De Beer confirmed yesterday that the crime intelligence division had
raided homes linked to the UK syndicate's suspected South African assets. The
assets identified are believed to include several luxury homes and cars, valued
at more than R2m.De Beer said the SAPS had been working with UK police for five
months. Home Affairs spokesman Leslie Mashokwe said it was suspected that
several Home Affairs officials were the brains behind the fake visa racket.
"Last week the Minister of Home Affairs, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, vowed to deal
with corrupt officials in the Department of Home Affairs," Mashokwe said. He
promised more details on the clampdown today.
Refugees play cat and mouse game with police (Inter Press Service, 18/06) -
A man who wishes to be identified as Soyu Mokili has discovered that the streets
of South Africa's main commercial city, Johannesburg, are not paved with gold in
the way he expected. Although Mokili came to South Africa to seek refuge from
the turmoil in his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, he does not yet
have legal refugee status. As a result, he spends most of his time playing a cat
and mouse game with the police. "Whenever I see the police I disappear from the
scene as fast as my legs can carry me," he told IPS, smiling. But, he
immediately added, "I'm submitting my application for asylum soon." In the
meantime Mokili exists on the fringes of society, eking out a living in Hillbrow:
a high-density suburb of Johannesburg which is notorious for crime and drug
dealing. He does menial jobs and occasionally runs errands for a restaurant
owner in the area. His salary of less than 150 dollars a month barely covers the
cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in Hillbrow, and buying food and
medicine. To make ends meet, he shares the room with another two asylum seekers,
one from the DRC, the other from Angola. The story of how Mokili arrived in
South Africa makes for a fascinating, if harrowing, tale. The 19-year-old
crossed through six countries - Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and
Mozambique - before arriving in South Africa. Under United Nations regulations,
people fleeing their country must declare themselves to authorities in the first
state they enter - in Mokili's case, Burundi. "But Burundi is at war, and there
is nothing much one can do there," he said. "Although life is tough in South
Africa, it's much better than Burundi." His Congolese roommate, who calls
himself Pierre, nods. "If you work hard in Johannesburg, you can make it. But
you must have skills and connections in order to find a good job," he told IPS.
Under the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted in 1951, a
refugee is defined as a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being
persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a
particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his
nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail
himself of the protection of that country." Financial hardship in many countries
has also created a burgeoning group of 'economic refugees', however. Mokili says
he fled conflict in the DRC. According to the London-based human rights
watchdog, Amnesty International, over two million people have died since
fighting erupted in this central African country in 1998. Although the war
officially ended last year, a recent upsurge of violence in eastern DRC and a
failed coup attempt on Jun. 10 have shown that the situation in the country
remains volatile. As the international community marks World Refugee Day on
Sunday, Jun. 20, the hope is that more attention will be paid to Mokili and
countless others in his situation. Last year, South Africa's parliament heard
that there were 24,000 recognised refugees in the country, with 51,000 asylum
applications pending. Most asylum applicants came from the DRC, Angola,
Mozambique, Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Nigeria. These
figures pale in comparison with statistics from other countries in the region,
however. Tanzania currently hosts the largest number of refugees in the Southern
African Development Community: 648,184. Zambia has taken in 238, 910 refugees
and Botswana 2,818, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In an ironic twist, the DRC is itself host to almost 273,000 refugees.
Inevitably, these influxes have weighed heavily on countries which are already
struggling to meet the demands of their own populations. Some hope, however, has
been created by the outbreak of peace in Angola, which has prompted many who
fled that country to return home voluntarily. Last week, about 365 Angolan
refugees left the Meheba settlement camp in western Zambia with the assistance
of the UNHCR, to return to their country. More are expected to follow in weekly
convoys from Zambia, with the repatriation of groups from the Mayukwayukwa and
Ukwimi camps scheduled to begin in July. The UNHCR plans to help 40,000 Angolan
refugees leave Zambia before the start of the rainy season at the end of
October. A separate programme, which got underway in May, focuses on
repatriating Angolans who sought refuge in Namibia. In all, the UNHCR expects
145,000 Angolan refugees to return home this year, 90,000 of them with the
agency's assistance. About 223,000 Angolans are thought to be living in the DRC,
Zambia, Namibia, the Republic of Congo, South Africa and Botswana. Once home,
the returnees are provided with agricultural tools and seeds. They also receive
plastic sheeting to build homes. But life remains hard. "Often widows, orphans
and the elderly come to look for money for feeding, school fees and medicines,"
Isaias Samakuva, Chairman of the opposition Union for the Total Liberation of
Angola (UNITA), told IPS in an earlier interview. UNITA, which operated as a
rebel movement for over 30 years, signed a ceasefire with government in 2002
after the death of its founder, Jonas Savimbi, who was killed by government
troops. This week some 150 legislators from 26 African countries met in Cotonou,
Benin, to promote refugee protection. According to the UNHCR, four million
Africans live as refugees, while another 13 million have been internally
displaced, due to war and human rights abuse.
Home Affairs will not probe fake visas (Sapa, 17/06) - South Africa would
not be involved in investigations into alleged issuing of fraudulent United
Kingdom visas to its the Department of Home Affairs said on Thursday. "The
issuing of visas by a specific country is the prerogative of the country
concerned and has nothing to do with South department spokesman Leslie Mashokwe
said in Pretoria. "It would only concern us if this was done on fake South.
passports." Mashokwe denied media reports that the department would p corruption
in its midst after the arrests of 20 people in for issuing fake visas to
visitors. The department would only consider the matter once the So Africans,
now in the UK illegally, were deported back home if they were found to have
applied for their visas with f passports would a probe be launched. "Because no
fake passport can be provided without the help corrupt official", Mashokwe said.
UK police arrested 20 UK citizens and naturalised national Wednesday in an
operation code named Taming. No South Africans were arrested in the operation,
said to largest yet carried out by the Metropolitan Police under Maxim - an
initiative to tackle organised immigration crime London. The alleged fraud
involved providing foreigners, mostly S Africans, with documents falsely
claiming they were study colleges around London. Metropolitan police worked
closely with the SA Police Ser (SAPS) on this investigation for the past five
months, police spokeswoman Director Sally de Beer said. She said UK police
confiscated printing presses and other accessories linked to the alleged crime
in London during Wednesday's raid. Investigators have also identified personal
property in Durban belonging to a UK natural allegedly in the seam. "The SAPS
will continue assisting the UK police view to the seizure of local assets of the
suspects," loc said in a statement. De Beer said no South Africans have been
arrested for the so far, but victims of the seam were expected to be deported
back home. British police were more interested in "the big guns" than
apprehending those who obtained the fake documents, she added. Police believed
about 1,000 students paid between UK120 (about Rl,400) and UK 180 (about R2,147)
for the fraudulent documents. UK assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur,
responsible for Operation Maxim, was quoted by the BBC as saying the probe
highlighted the Metropolitan Police's determination to counter organised
immigration crime in London. Those arrested were being detained on suspicion of
facilitating illegal entry into the UK as well as money laundering, and were
being questioned at various police stations in London, he reportedly said.
Fake visas put South Africans in UK (Business Day, 17/06) - About a thousand
South Africans in the UK on fraudulent student visas face the risk of being
deported to SA following the arrest yesterday of 20 people who allegedly
facilitated their illegal entry into that country. The 20 were arrested in
London in dawn raids targeting an immigration racket that brought more than 1000
people, mostly South Africans, into Britain using the student visas. The South
African high commission in the UK said yesterday it was not officially informed
about the operation. The commission's offices were closed yesterday to mark the
Youth Day holiday. Spokesman Malusi Mahlulo said he did not have details of who
had been detained or of the circumstances of the arrests. A police official said
the network behind the suspected racket had been under investigation for more
than a year, but detectives believed it may have been operating for several
years. The network had allegedly provided the student visas, using counterfeit
immigration stamps and false documents, and registered them at bogus colleges.
Each recipient of the visas paid "several hundred pounds" to get a student visa
for between six months and three years. Detective chief inspector Steven Kupis,
who led yesterday's operation, said that those coming to Britain stood to be
returned to their country of origin if they had entered that country illegally.
Students face mass deportation (The Star, 17/06) - Hundreds of young South
Africans could be sent home after the arrest of 20 people in England in
connection with an immigration scam. Detective Chief Inspector Steven Kupis, who
led yesterday's operation in London, said of the more than 1 000 people who had
come to the UK using fraudulently-obtained student visas, most were South
African, both black and white. "They stand to be returned to their country of
origin if they are here illegally," Kupis said. "These people are victims. They
have given up money, sometimes unknowingly, to these people purporting to be
agents. "While more than 120 officers from the London Metropolitan Police
specialist crime directorate swooped on 12 addresses across London and adjoining
Essex, including two suspected bogus colleges, the South African Police
Service's crime intelligence division swooped on several houses in Durban.
Yesterday's raids were aimed at a huge immigration racket estimated to have
brought about 1 000 people to London and earned the perpetrators at least
£1-million (R11,7-million).The arrested suspects were detained on suspicion of
helping people illegally enter and remain in the UK, and money-laundering. The
operation was the largest yet carried out by the Metropolitan Police under the
banner of Operation Maxim, an initiative to tackle organised immigration crime,
and was timed to coincide with the operation by the SAPS. SAPS national police
spokesperson director Sally de Beer has confirmed that the crime intelligence
division swooped on several houses in Durban after identifying the UK
syndicate's South African assets. De Beer said SAPS crime intelligence had been
working with UK police for five months. According to London police, the network
behind the racket has been under investigation for more than a year, but
detectives believe it may have been operating for several years. It allegedly
provided mainly South African nationals with fake student visas, either by using
counterfeit immigration stamps and false documents or by registering them at
bogus colleges. It is believed that those targeted by the scheme each paid about
£150 (R1 755) for a visa valid for between six months and three years. SA Home
Affairs spokesperson Leslie Mashokwe said it was suspected that Home Affairs
officials were the brains behind the scam.
SA refugees under spotlight (Sapa, 17/06) - A World Refugee Day programme on
Saturday will highlight the achievements and difficulties faced by refugees and
asylum seekers, the National Consortium for Refugee Affairs said on Thursday.
"The main event will be held in Cape Town as part of a commemoration to
showcase, highlight and reflect on the refugee situation worldwide," said NCRA
national co-ordinator, Joyce Ntlou. There are approximately 152 000 refugees and
asylum seekers in South Africa. The main event will be held in conjunction with
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the City of Cape Town.
Ntlou said the programme would look at the root causes and "myriad problems"
facing refugees, who had been uprooted and displaced to other countries. The
NCRA is a network of organisations dealing with the promotion and protection of
refugee rights in South Africa. Ntlou said the national programme would also
concentrate on the achievements of refugees in rebuilding the lives. The
majority of refugees and asylum seekers in South Africa, post-1994, came mostly
from strife-torn countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Burundi, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and until recently Angola. Asked
whether xenophobia was increasing or decreasing, Ntlou said there was no
scientific evidence to support either contention. However, she said, xenophobia
was an "attitudinal problem" which needed constant work in educating people.
"The issue of refugees is important to highlight at this particular juncture...
(because) it relates to human beings like you and me," she said. Ntlou said
there did seem to be improvements, citing as an example the media and their
reporting on the issue of refugees — which according to her was now "more
objective and more accurate". The theme of this year's World Refugee Day is
"Home in exile, rebuilding refugee lives". United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) Ruud Lubbers said the organisation had helped repatriate about
50 million refugees to their homelands over the past few decades. "Refugees
desperately want to go back home — a sentiment we have seen dramatically played
out time and again in places as diverse as Kosovo and Cambodia, Mozambique and
Timor-Leste." According to the UNHCR a total of 1.1 million refugees went home
last year, with the single biggest group, some 646 000 people, returning to
Afghanistan. The UNHCR has identified nine African nations where repatriation is
already under way, about to start, or where there are good prospects for return
in the near future. Between them, these nine countries account for at least two
million refugees and millions more internally displaced.
SA hit by misuse of refugee14 status (The Star, 16/06) - Corruption and the
abuse of refugee status by thousands of "refugees" in South Africa is costing
the country millions of rands in lost skills and revenue. This was revealed
during a visit to Limpopo yesterday by the UN High commissioner for Refugees and
the Home Affairs Department ahead of World Refugee Day on Sunday. More than
40,000 former Mozambican refugees and their families, who were among the 320,000
people who fled Mozambique and came to South Africa during that country's civil
war, settled in the Bushbuckridge area during the mid-80s. Of the 320,000
Mozambican refugees who fled to South Africa, only 31,000 have been officially
repatriated, with nearly 180,000 becoming permanent residents. The permanent
resident applications of an estimated 32000 former refugees are still pending -
and this, claim Department of Home Affairs sources, is where the corruption come
in. During a visit to Dushbuckridge, several successful Mozambican businessmen,
whose South African permanent residency is still pending and who are allegedly
exploiting their refugee status, were discovered. One former Mozambican refugee,
who owns a vehicle repair workshop in the Welverdiend area of Bushbuckridge,
admitted that he owned a 1500 hectare farm in Mozambique. The man, whose name in
known to this newspaper, employs 27 South Africans in his workshop. He said he
took home to Mozambique the money that he made with his business to support his
family there. He told reporters that because he and other Mozambican families
had not been able to get social grants for their children, despite the recent
constitutional Court ruling that all permanent immigrants were eligible for
social grants, they sent their children with their South African neighbours when
they (the South Africans) collect their grants. However, not all former
Mozambican refugees are pleased with what their fellow countrymen are doing. A
Home Affairs source, who works on the department's refugee affairs desk, said
the abuse of refugees status by so called refugees and corrupt officials was
rife. Home Affairs spokesperson Lesley Mashokwe said the department was working
with all the relevant authorities to eliminate corruption.
False passports gang busted (Business Day, 16/06) - Police have broken up a
Chinese gang manufacturing false "seaman's passports" in a suburb near
Johannesburg International Airport, a spokesman said. Officers from the Sebenza
station earlier in the day followed up information about false seamen's books
being printed and distributed from a hotel room in Croydon in the North Rand
policing area. "The police officers pounced just before noon and seized
computers, printers, official seals and a number of false so-called seaman's
books," spokesman Superintendent Eugene Opperman said. Two Chinese men and a
woman were arrested. "Dozens of photos of Chinese subjects were also seized,"
Opperman added. Four seamen's books were also found in the room, each bearing
the photo of the arrested woman - and each with a different name. Preliminary
investigations suggest that this woman had "married" at least two South African
men. Documentation in this regard appears to have been falsified, Opperman said.
Investigators also seized R65,OOO in cash moments. Opperman said the seaman's
books look very similar to passports. "It is usually issued to seamen who visit
the ports of a country, and it can also be used as such (as a passport) under
certain circumstances. People carrying such books can enter and leave a country
by producing this 'seaman's book' at any harbour. "This also under certain
circumstances allows the bearer to move around freely in the country as a
'visiting seaman'. Naturally it can also be used as an identification document,"
Opperman said. He added that the North Rand crime intelligence unit was
profiling the three and also the gang's activities. "Investigations are
continuing. The three suspects will appear in court on Thursday on charges of
fraud and certain sections of our immigration laws."
Arrest in London over SA visa scam (Daily News, 16/06) - Sixteen people were
arrested today in dawn raids targeting an immigration scam that brought more
than 1 000 people, mainly South Africans, into Britain using fraudulently
obtained student visas. More than 120 officers from the Metropolitan Police
specialist crime directorate swooped on 12 addresses across London and in
adjoining Essex, including two suspected bogus colleges in Tooting, south
London. The raids were aimed at a huge immigration racket estimated to have
brought more than 1 000 people to London and earned the perpetrators millions of
pounds. The 16 arrested suspects - six of them women - were detained on
suspicion of offences relating to facilitating illegal entry and leave to remain
in Britain, as well as money-laundering. They were taken to various London
police stations for questioning. Among them was a Zimbabwean-born naturalised
Briton in his 40s. The operation was the largest yet to be carried out by the
Metropolitan Police under the banner of Operation Maxim, an initiative to tackle
organised immigration crime. They were timed to coincide with an operation in
Durban today where police officers were expected to visit at least one address.
South African Police Services said they knew nothing of the operation, but noted
that it was probably being conducted by Immigration Services officials of the
Home Affairs Department. No-one at Home Affairs was available to comment. The
network behind the suspected racket has been under investigation for more than a
year, but detectives believe it may have been operating for several years. It
allegedly provided mainly South African nationals with fraudulently obtained
student visas, either by using counterfeit immigration stamps and false
documents, or by registering them at bogus colleges. More than 1 000 people are
thought to have been brought to or allowed to stay in Britain as a result of the
scam, with each paying several hundred pounds to get a student visa for between
six months and three years. The suspected ringleaders are thought to have made
at least £1 million from the racket. A financial investigation is under way in a
bid to recover any criminal assets. Detective Chief Inspector Steven Kupis, who
led today's operation in London, said those who had come to Britain under the
scam were mainly South African, both black and white. "They stand to be returned
to their country of origin if they are here illegally," he said. "It is a matter
for the Immigration Service and we are progressing with that." "These people are
victims. They have given up money, sometimes unknowingly, to these people
purporting to be agents," Kupis added. "They are losing not only their money,
but their right to be in this country."
Nine in court over Freedom Park violence (SABC News, 15/06) - Nine people
today briefly appeared in the Tlhabane Magistrate's Court near Rustenburg, in
the North West, on charges of public violence. Their appearance follows the
killing of two people and the burning of property at Freedom Park informal
settlement in violence associated with ethnic clashes between the Xhosa and
Mozambican Tsonga-speaking people. The case against the men, who are facing
charges of murder, arson and public violence, have been postponed to Thursday
next week. They were not asked to plead and were remanded in custody pending
legal aid application. Their charges stem from a wave of violence that swept
through Freedom Park squatter settlement in Rustenburg three weeks ago, leaving
two people dead and several homes burnt to ashes, with damages running into
several thousands of rands. In another incident, 29 people were arrested last
week following another outbreak of violence at the nearby KwaZakhele squatter
settlement. In the latest development, peace in the area was done a serious blow
after the Xhosa faction decided to bar the Tsonga, who fled the areas during
clashes, from returning. Police have distanced themselves from the resolution.
Maureen Modiselle, the North West safety and security MEC, has, nonetheless,
warned against such action, saying it does not promote peace in the trouble torn
area.
Mozambican refugees in South Africa (Cape Times, 15/06) - Corruption and
abuse of refugee status by thousands of "refugees" in South Africa is costing
the country millions of rands in lost skills and revenue. This was revealed
during a visit to Limpopo Province by the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees and Home Affairs ahead of World Refugee day on Sunday. Of the 320 000
people who fled to SA during Mozambique's civil war in the mid-1980s, over 40
000 refugees and their families settled in the former Gazankulu homeland, now
Bushbuck Ridge. Only 31 000 of the 320 000 have been officially repatriated and
nearly 180 000 are now permanent residents. The permanent resident applications
of an estimated 32 000 former refugees are still pending and this, claim Home
Affairs sources, is where the corruption comes in. In Bushbuck Ridge, several
successful Mozambican businessmen, whose permanent residency is still pending
and who are allegedly exploiting their refugee status, were discovered. Speaking
to the Cape Times, one former refugee, who owns a motor mechanic workshop in the
area, admitted he owned a 1 500ha farm in Mozambique. "But I am doing nothing
wrong," he said, explaining how he by-passed the Mozambique-SA border posts by
crossing through the Kruger National Park. The man, who employs 27 South
Africans, said he used the money he made in SA to support his family in
Mozambique. He said because he and other Mozambican families had been unable to
get social grants for their children - despite a Constitutional Court ruling
that all permanent immigrants be eligible for social grants - they sent their
children with their SA neighbours when they collected their grants. "This money
we either use to support our families here or send it back home to our
relatives," he said. But not all former Mozambican refugees are pleased with
what their countrymen are doing. Former Mozambican Sebastiao Passe Sibuyi said
so-called "successful" businessmen were doing more harm than good to the refugee
communities in SA. "It is because of their corrupt actions that we (Mozambicans)
battle to receive social grants from the SA government. "These people, who still
claim to be refugees and continue to live in SA, take the skills they learn here
and go back to Mozambique where they set up shops and big farms and earn lots of
money," he said. A Home Affairs source, who works on the Refugee Affairs Desk,
said refugees worked with syndicates which bribed officials to arranging
permanent SA residencies and passports. This allowed the refugees entry and
egress. Police are investigating.
Home Affairs set for turnaround (Dispatch, 15/06) - Home Affairs
director-general Barry Gilder is planning a purge in the department because this
is what happens "when conditions become so bad that ordinary people can no
longer take it". "We can no longer take the corruption, the poor service
delivery, the atrocious state of our offices, the ancientness of our IT systems,
the illegal immigration into our country, the duping of our women into fake
marriages, the fraudulent acquisition of citizenship, the low morale of our
staff, the exhausting shortages of people, equipment, infrastructure and funds."
Writing in the preface to the department's Strategic Plan for 2004/5 to 2005/7,
Gilder states that the document plots "our revolution" or turnaround strategy.
"This turnaround strategy seeks to introduce momentum, energy, determination and
sheer guts into our strategic planning for the year and the years ahead. "It
bald-facedly acknowledges the critical challenges facing us and identifies key
intervention areas to address these challenges." While the department did not
deliver houses or healthcare, it was nevertheless critical to the government's
programme to create a better life for all. "The Department of Home Affairs
confirms the status of people. It provides people with the enabling
documentation that allows them to access the houses, the jobs, the healthcare
and the social grants. "It facilitates the entry of scarce skills and investment
and tourists into our country to build the economy that will allow government to
make life better for our people. "It ensures that people who with to visit,
sojourn and work in our country do so legally and in pursuance of our national
goals. It ensures that criminals, the terrorists, the drug-peddlers, the
people-traffickers are prevented from subverting our new-found and hard-won
democracy." With regard to the state of security in Home Affairs the strategic
plan says this is "dismal physical security, information security, IT security
and personnel security". The Strategic Plan states that the National
Intelligence Agency (NIA) has completed an assessment of the main causes of
corruption in the department and "the interventions needed to tackle it
decisively". The department is now in the process of "translating this
assessment into a concrete counter-corruption operational plan". The plan states
that the department is dealing with two types of corruption" syndicated
corruption and convenience corruption". "There is no doubt that the department
is a prime target of organised crime syndicates and other criminals, because we
provide them with an essential service, the enabling documentation that allows
them to establish themselves and to carry out their criminal activities inside
the country and across our borders." Looking at interventions aimed at
addressing the situation, the plan states a -counter-corruption plan will be
approved by July 1 and corruption reporting and policies and mechanisms
introduced by November.
New twist in North West conflicts (SABC News, 14/06) - The future of
Mozambicans living at the KwaZakhele informal settlement who fled the strife
torn area hangs in the balance. A resident's meeting attended by hundreds of
Xhosa families has resolved not to welcome them back to their area. For a week
now, KwaZakhele has been tense following the rape of an 8 year old Xhosa girl
allegedly by a Mozambican. This resulted in the burning of property belonging to
the Mozambican who have now sought refuge at nearby Mfidikwe village Anglican
Church. Angered by what they believe is sloppy reaction by police to the rape
incident. A group of Xhosa youth began to storm shacks belonging to Mozambicans.
In the process destroying 40 with fire and burning more than 10 cars. Not a
single Xhosa participant showed sympathy nor agreed with a request that all the
Mozambicans who fled be welcomed back to the settlement. Lutshete Madoda, a
Xhosa community spokesperson, said: "The community has decided to abolish all
the Mozambicans who are not working the only people who are accepted by the
Xhosa are those who are staying at the hostel who are working." It's now a week
since the Mozambicans fled their homes. Many as a result of violence have lost
their identity and works permit in South Africa. Isaac Mangike, a Mozambican
spokesperson, says the only proposal they now have is for the government to make
a decision as to where they should stay not the Xhosa. A meeting to finally
agree on a proposal that only the Mozambicans employed by the local mines may be
welcomed back is scheduled for the end of the week. The 29 other Xhosa charged
with public violence, arson and damage to property are to re-appear before the
Phokeng Regional court in Rustenburg on Thursday.
North West government shocked at xenophobic meeting (Sapa, 14/06) - A
weekend meeting at the troubled Zakhele informal settlement where ethnic
conflict cost two lives and saw 50 shacks caused grave concern to the North West
Safety and Liaison department. According to a press statement issued on Monday,
the department received information that a meeting among the Xhosa-speaking
community declared that "all unemployed and undocumented songa-speaking
(Mozambican) people must not be allowed back "This gathering was not arranged by
any formal governor structure and therefore its purported declarations are to
anyone," said Safety and Liaison MEC Maureen Modise: The statement said that
neither the Rustenburg Municipal the government would endorse such a declaration
"with ( xenophobic tendencies. "It does not provide any solution to the current
situation. "It must also be stated that this is not a popular vie1 the Xhosa
group, rather a view held by a few individual. hell-bent on fuelling violence."
Residents of Mozambican origin fled the area at the outbreak violence a week
ago. After a four hour meeting on Sunday, Xhosa residents s they were not
willing to live with people "who aren't "who aren't South African citizens". The
meeting was monitored by the police and the South National Defence Force.
Modiselle said police would maintain a presence in the area until the situation
had normalised.
Foreigners arrested in drug bust (Mail&Guardian, 14/06) - Mpumalanga
police rounded up a gang of foreign drug dealers plying narcotics at local night
spots in a major operation on Saturday morning, police said. Spokesperson
Superintendent Izak van Zyl said police, assisted by soldiers and officials from
the departments of justice, health and home affairs, arrested 22 foreign
nationals for dealing in drugs, arrested a further 19 people for being in the
country illegally, tested 34 people for using illegal drugs and returned six
underage children found in nightclubs to their parents. The police team probing
the gang included detectives from the Lowveld Organised Crime and Crime
Intelligence units. Van Zyl said they concentrated their investigations on
Nelspruit and the surrounding towns of Sabie, Hazyview and Lydenburg. The team,
under the command of Senior Superintendent Faan Steenkamp, started arresting
syndicate members on Friday morning, after having had them under investigation
since November last year. The operation, which ended early on Saturday morning,
included the cordoning off and search of the Personalities night club in
Anderson Street, Nelspruit, and two buildings in the same street used by
nationals from Pakistan, Nigeria, Burundi, Tanzania, Somalia and Mozambique.
"About 300 members of the National Intervention Unit of the police, the Lowveld
Dog Unit, Organised Crime units from all over Mpumalanga province, the National
Prosecution Authority, the police air wing, the Department of Home Affairs, the
Department of Health, the SANDF [South African National Defence Force] and local
police took part in the operation," Van Zyl said. Detectives seized illegal
substances including cocaine, mandrax, Ecstasy and LSD with a total street value
of more than R200 000. Nineteen "undocumented migrants" from Nigeria, Burundi,
Pakistan, Mozambique and Tanzania were arrested and "will be dealt with by the
Department of Home Affairs". Thirty-four people were identified as possible drug
users and were taken to the Rob Ferreira hospital for blood samples. "The
samples are packaged and will be send to the police's forensic science
laboratory for confirmation of the suspicion," Van Zyl added. Six under-aged
children found in the nightclub were returned to their parents. "Some of them
were also subjected to urinal or blood testing." The owner of the club will be
charged under the Liquor Act for allowing under-aged children to enter
restricted premises. "This operation was very well coordinated, with the full
assistance from the National Prosecution Authority," police provincial
Commissioner Eric Nkabinde added in a statement."I applaud all the departments
involved in the operation. This is indeed demonstration of force. We shall
continue to do so until such time that crime is under control," Nkabinde said.
Integration of Mozambican refugees a success (SABC News, 12/06) - The UN
High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) says the successful integration of
Mozambican refugees with the Bushbuckridge community in Limpopo is one of many
success stories of South Africa's 10 years of democracy. After voluntary
repatriations in 1993, research by the Wits Forced Migration Study Programmes
states that over 30 000 left and others were later granted amnesty, Twenty years
later, they are still in the country. "Home in exile" is how 76-year-old Cecilia
Makhubela feels. Like many Mozambicans, Makhubela fled her war-torn country in
the mid-80s and decided to stay on at Hluvukani village. She received a pension
grant but this stopped after the abolishment of the homelands. It was only
reinstated last year. Over the years her refugee status has changed. The South
African Cabinet granted amnesty and together with Mozambique and the UNHCR ended
the formal refugee status in 1996. Melita Sunjic, of the UNHCR, said: "We think
that it is really proof that if there is good will on the side of the local
population and government is willing to help refugees then it is quite easy to
integrate people."
Expats create new publishing market (Business Day, 11/06) - Globalisation
and the escalation of the expatriate phenomenon have spawned a new genre of
media the "expat papers" or "expat e-zines". Go online and you will find
"dotcom" extensions for Australian, British, Bulgarian, Iranian, Spanish and
South African expatriates and a great many more. The further you go, it seems,
the tighter the motherland's media strings become. One expatriate paper you will
not find on the web is the recently launched FS African Standard, a monthly
tabloid for the ever expanding expatriate communities of west Africa living in
SA. "Our target market has limited access to the internet and a huge tradition
of reading newspapers," says Sharon Stocks, whose Gauteng-based company Africa
@Work manages the newspaper's editorial activities and distribution in SA for
Nigerian publisher Millennium Harvest. "There are 15 daily newspapers in
circulation in Nigeria. In some towns, informal street businesses rent out
newspapers by the hour. The literacy rate is high and Nigerians are great
readers." While it is published primarily for the estimated 100000 west Africans
living in SA, Stocks says the FS African Standard is also an information source
for South African companies that do, or wish to do, business in west Africa.
There is also limited distribution of the publication in Nigeria, and the
publisher plans to extend this to other English speaking west African countries.
Most of the newspaper's reports are written by Nigerian journalists who also
work on the Financial Standard, Millennium Harvest's weekly Lagos-based business
publication. Dianna Games, of Africa @Work, is the SA-based correspondent.
Editorial focuses primarily on business and political issues. This, says Stocks,
is based on readership research. "Many of our readers have university degrees
and most are particularly interested in political and business developments in
their homelands. It is also the kind of information that is valuable to South
African businesses." Millennium Publishers chairwoman Eniola Fadayomi says the
idea for the publication stemmed from her many visits to SA. "I could see that
South Africans had limited knowledge of what was happening in other parts of
Africa. "Yet there were moves towards greater integration of SA into the rest of
Africa through various political initiatives," says Fadayomi. "With the
information revolution, the world is becoming a much smaller place, and what we
have to consider in terms of this is that it is no longer a question of an
Africa-Europe axis. "It is a question of what we can do within Africa, between
countries," she says. Fadayomi hopes the paper will help to create greater
understanding between Africans. Five thousand copies of the first commercial
edition, printed by the Natal Witness, went on sale at R13,50 a copy last month
in CNA and Exclusive Books following a complimentary issue that circulated in
the market during April. "In addition to the newsstand sales, we distribute bulk
quantities into west African communities in various centres in SA and these are
sold on informally. "Although I cannot give you number as yet, I can say we have
had very positive subscription inquiries and are pleased with the response to
the paper," says Stocks. Ghana and Nigeria were selected as target countries for
the first phase of the product because of expatriate numbers in SA. According to
Stocks, officially registered Nigerians number about 4000. Unofficially, the
population is estimated up to 50000. The officially registered number of
Ghanaians in the country is also 4000 and, unofficially, it too is estimated to
be substantially higher. Nigeria, Ghana and SA have recorded significant growth
in trade in the past few years. According to Stocks, Nigeria's exports to SA
have grown from about $5,6m in 1996 to about $441m in 2001, while exports from
SA to Nigeria have risen from $27m to $220m over the same period. SA is ranked
as Ghana's second-largest African trading partner. Last year SA's exports to
Ghana amounted to R1bn while its imports from Ghana were R52,4m. Stocks says
advertisers are beginning to show interest in FS African Standard. The June
edition, scheduled for sale this week, contains the first advertising from a
South African business. "Most of our business, for almost 32 years, has come
from visitors and expatriates from other African countries," says Faeez Moosa of
Khaliques Suit Centre at Village Walk in Johannesburg. "When I heard about the
newspaper, I thought it would be a great way to promote the shop to our target
market. "There are not many opportunities to advertise to this sector and I look
forward to seeing what the response is," says Moosa.
Home Affairs to improve service delivery (BuaNews, 11/07) - The Home Affairs
Department is to conduct an audit of its infrastructure needs to improve
conditions for people in need of its services. Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula made the announcement during her budget vote in Parliament today.
The minister said most Home Affairs offices were located in towns and urban
areas, which made it difficult for those in rural areas to access services.
"This means that people in rural areas and informal settlements travel long
distances, wait in long queues and use money they normally do not have to
receive services from our department," she said. In this regard, R14.6 million
had been allocated for mobile units that would be ready for use by end of this
year. Minister Mapisa-Nqakula said the department would also ensure that "red
tape" in the processing of applications for residence permits by refugees was
reduced. She said this resulted in people not in need of "protection and
hospitality" being able to stay in the country because applications took time to
be processed. "The sooner we shorten the time for processing applications and
deal with the current backlog of applications the better it will be for service
delivery and our country's security," she said. She said government also
intended to deal harshly with those who undermined the borders and security of
the country by entering illegally. "We are aware of some of the applicants that
are being frustrated when they renew their permits and we are addressing our
capacity to improve this aspect. "But it is still no excuse to go underground
and live in this country illegally because when we catch these people, the law
will have to take its cause," she added. The Minister also announced that a
community volunteer campaign would be launched to clean its offices in all
provinces.
Immigration regulations to be finalized (Sapa, 11/06) -
Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Friday again repeated her
intention to finalise the long-awaited Immigration Actions by August this year,
saying she would seek Cabinet approval to table legislative amendments in
Parliament. "We have agreed that in order to resolve some of the problems within
the current regulations, we need to make certain changes to act itself." Opening
debate on her department's budget vote in an extended public committee of the
National Assembly, she said the department was looking at only effecting those
amendments that are necessary". This was to meet the three-month deadline laid
down by President Mbeki in his May state-of-the-nation address. For us it is
urgent that South Africa should have an immigration policy regime that is
responsive to the needs of the country in the area of attracting direct foreign
investment, encourage tourism, and contribute to economic growth through the
attraction of skills." Mapisa-Nqakula said while it was necessary to protect
local jobs, "it will also be important that our immigration policy should not
hinder our contribution to the improvement of socio-economic ions of our
neighbouring countries". This would require a delicate balancing act. But
obviously we need to find a way of addressing this in such that we will not
suddenly wake up one morning and have to all the mining workers that work in our
mines from Lesotho and Mozambique, " she said. Earlier this week, Mapisa-Nqakula
said amendments to the Immigration Act would go before Cabinet on June 23, "and
we are hoping that Cabinet will give us the go ahead to go before parliament on
the 24th (of June)".
Planned crackdown on illegal immigrants (SABC News, 11/06) -
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the home affairs minister, says the government will
deal harshly with people who illegally sneak into South Africa endangering the
security of the country, Maphisa-Nqakula said in Parliament that South Africa is
faced with the difficulty of assisting foreigners who need protection while
maintaining the country's security. She said measures have already been taken to
remove the red tape that has led to delays in dealing with immigration
applications, This red tape, she said, has enabled people who should not be in
the country to stay long as their applications have taken unnecessarily long to
be processed. "It is not acceptable that our offices should remain the greatest
source of frustration for the people who come to us for a variety of services,"
Mapisa-Nqakula said, Mapisa-Nqakula said her department will also deal with
fraudulent marriages. Women, she said, will be able to verify their marital
status and ensure that every child has a birth certificate, They will also try
to ensure that services get to the people, especially in rural areas. All
parties have welcomed the proposals.
Rustenburgers agree on steps to prevent ethnic clashes (SABC News, 10/06) -
Groups interested in preventing a recurrence of ethnic violence in informal
settlements around Rustenburg have agreed on a number of ways to achieve this.
Maureen Modiselle, North West safety and liaison MEC, said today that a meeting
held at the town's traffic department agreed that the use of violence,
regardless of cause and source had to be condemned. The parties further agreed
to do all within their power "to ensure that conditions of peace and stability
prevail in the affected areas". The meeting followed a week of clashes between
Mozambicans and South Africans at Zakhele and Freedom Park near Rustenburg, in
which two people were killed, four injured and more than 50 shacks razed.
Twenty-six people appeared before a Rustenburg magistrate yesterday on a charge
of public violence in connection with the fighting. They will next appear in
court on June 17. Although Modiselle's statement did not say who attended the
meeting, it had been advertised that Impala Platinum Mines, the Royal Bafokeng
Administration, the police and the Rustenburg and Bajanala municipalities would
attend. The local branch of the SA Council of Churches, the National Union of
Mineworkers, ward councillors from the affected areas, leaders of both the
communities, representatives from both communities in the House of Traditional
Leaders, local church leaders and the SA Human Rights Commission were also
expected to be present. Further steps agreed to included the pledging of support
to victims of the violence, including the provision of food, blankets, clothing
and shelter. The parties also agreed to support the Rustenburg Urban Renewal
Project, to hold workshops on conflict resolution and mobilise people against
"all forms of discrimination". The police undertook to maintain high visibility
patrols in the area while the Rustenburg municipality promised to identify
vacant houses for allocation to those left homeless by the clashes. The
Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing pledged to engage the
mining houses and unions on linking housing allowances with government
subsidies. Victims would be registered to ensure those who lost property such as
travel, identity and residence documents could be assisted. Another meeting was
scheduled for June 29 to monitor progress.
Home affairs a leader in corruption, says minister (This Day, 09/06) - The
alleged members of al-Qaeda who were arrested with copies of South African
passports must have bought the documents from corrupt homes affairs officials,
Home Affairs Minister Nosoviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said yesterday. Last month police
commissioner Jackie Selebi said the arrests made in South Africa five days
before the April elections had led to the capture of al-Qaeda suspects
internationally. "As part of this operation the British police found boxes of
South African passports in the home of one of these people." Selebi told
parliament's portfolio committee on safety and security. Yesterday
Mapisa-Nqakula told MPs: "A few weeks ago members of al-Qaeda were arrested with
our passports. A member of the department must have sold them those passports.
It must have been a syndicate.. we are trying to break these syndicates. "We are
working with safety and security, the police and the Scorpions to rid the
department of these syndicates." She confirmed there was corruption in her
department of home affairs is the leading department in corruption. "If there is
an illegal immigrant scam of a marriage scam, then the department is involved,"
she said. "You read every month about the arrests going on ... we are doing
something about it." She said most arrests were a result of investigations
started by the department's anti-corruption unit.
Government clips immigration body's wings (Business Day, 09/06) - The
Immigration Advisory Board's wings are to be clipped as part of a major
government revamp of immigration regulations. Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula said yesterday that executive powers given to the board had been
a major source of contention while drafting new regulations in line with the
Immigration Act. The board has the power to override decisions taken by the home
affairs department's director-general, and this has been a major source of
contention in the cabinet. Mapisa-Nqakula told Parliament's portfolio committee
on home affairs yesterday that the board had been given executive powers in the
regulations that should have been the department's prerogative. The board,
established in 2001 by former home affairs minister Mangosuthu Buthelezi, was at
the centre of a four-year battle between the home affairs ministry and the
cabinet. Buthelezi drew up regulations for the Immigration Act in consultation
with the board, on which business, labour and civil society was represented. He
published the regulations in February, while they were still being discussed by
the cabinet. President Thabo Mbeki then took Buthelezi to court to declare the
regulations invalid, and won the case. Buthelezi lost his position in the
cabinet after the national elections in April this year. Mapisa-Nqakula said a
meeting would be held with the board to thrash out the fact that the act did not
give the current board executive powers, while the regulations did. She said the
act had all along intended that the board advise the minister. Mbeki, in his
state of the nation address last month, gave the department three months to
produce new regulations. But it now appears that for the regulations to align
with the act, the act would have to be amended by Parliament. Mapisa-Nqakula
said a cabinet committee met yesterday to review the issue and the process was
"on a tight schedule", to ensure that amendments to the legislation were passed
before the end of August. The cabinet committee had given a technical committee,
that state legal advisers and departmental personnel, until June 15 to identify
issues in the regulations and legislation which needed attention. Mapisa-Nqakula
said the cabinet committee would then review the regulations and proposed
amendments that are expected to be presented to cabinet on June 23, and
Parliament the following day. The portfolio committee would then debate the
amendments and regulations in July and a public participation process would run
concurrently. She said the immediate exercise was to solve the "current problem"
and if there was a need to overhaul the Act, "we can look at it again later".
Mapisa-Nqakula said SA was experiencing "serious problems" by not having
regulations in place to ensure that airports and borders were secure and that
the refugee question was adequately addressed. She said government was trying to
achieve an immigration policy that was "responsive to the needs of the country".
It should assist in attracting foreign investment and skills, and encourage
tourism.
Mozambique speaks out on clashes (SABC News, 09/06) - The Mozambican
government today expressed great concern about the position of its nationals who
are been affected by the on-going violence at Rustenburg's two strife torn
squatter settlements of Freedom Park and Kwa-Zakhele. The violence broke out
following the impasse between Xhosa and Mozambican nationals during the past two
weeks leaving two people dead and scores injured. Jose Manea, the Mozambican
Consul in South Africa, accompanied by Maureen Modiselle, the Northwest MEC for
Safety and Liaison, today paid a visit to the trouble torn area to get first
hand information. Of great concern to the Mozambican government is its citizens'
damaged property, especially their identity documents. Manea says the
non-availability of their identity documents might impact negatively on their
presence in South Africa. In response the Northwest government is convening an
urgent meeting with all stakeholders including officials from the department of
home affairs to assist in the processing of new documents. Meanwhile, 35 people
today appeared in Tlhabane regional court in Rustenburg following the unrests.
Their charges include public violence, murder, arson, theft and damage to
property. The KwaZakhele group of 26 appeared briefly in court and their case
has been postponed to Thursday next week. They will remain in custody pending
further police investigation. The Freedom Park group of nine accused which
allegedly sparked the first tribal clashes about two weeks ago, also appeared in
court at the same time. Their case has also been postponed to Tuesday. They too
have been remanded into custody awaiting further police investigations. There is
a strong police presence in the area and there are fears that the violence might
escalate into other adjacent settlements.
Thirty five appear in Rustenburg court (SABC News, 09/06) - Thirty-five
suspects have appeared in the Tlhabane Regional Court in Rustenburg following
the past few days of unrests at Freedom Park and Kwa-Zakhele mining settlements
at the town. Twenty-six of them were allegedly involved in violence at
Kwa-Zakhele, while the others are from Freedom Park. Violence broke out
following an impasse between South Africans and Mozambicans during the past two
weeks. The charges include public violence, murder, arson, theft and damage to
property. The suspects will remain in custody pending further police
investigation. Two people died and scores have been injured in the recent storm
of violence. There is a strong police presence in the area and there are fears
that the violence might spill over into other adjacent settlements.
We're not criminals, protest Nigerians ( Cape Argus, 09/06) - This was the
message from a group of Nigerian businessmen who stood in the rain in front of
the Cape Town Magistrate's Court yesterday. Armed with placards, their protest
action was to oppose bail for four of their countrymen who are facing charges of
murder, attempted murder, abduction, hijacking, armed robberies, serious assault
and burglaries committed in different parts of the country. Some of the
protesters are restaurant and shop-owners, or own other businesses in and around
the city, and about 10 of the 20 protesters are allegedly victims of crimes
committed by the four accused. Tomorrow another five Nigerians will be added to
the charge sheet. In addition, Detective Lionel "Corné" Cornellissen, of the
Western Cape police serious violent crimes unit, will be fetching another
Nigerian from Diepkloof Prison in Johannesburg later this week to stand trial in
Cape Town. This man - who will be charged with 25 of the 40 charges - will
appear with the nine others at a later date. Businessman Austin Ijezie, 37, a
spokesman for his fellow protesters, said: "Nigerians are always being portrayed
in the media as negative, bad people. Today we are taking it upon ourselves to
say (the accused) are a handful of bad boys. "We are opposing bail for them,
because they are giving us a bad name. We want the courts to give them maximum
sentences. "We are taking this opportunity to create an awareness that not all
Nigerians are criminals. "We accept that the investigating officer, Detective
Cornellissen, is doing his best and has planned to interview all the
complainants, but we want the courts and the public to take note of our protest
and concerns." Yesterday Emmanuel Obiwuru, 25, and Sylvester Chio Nwude, 22, of
Observatory, Lawrence Abako Daniel, 28, of Mandalay and Denis Ndubueze Ikezi,
32, of Sea Point appeared in connection with more than 10 of the charges.
Yesterday state prosecutor Vukile Mgobhozi told magistrate Joe Magele that the
other charges and another five men would be added to the charge sheet tomorrow.
Some of the hijackings, armed robberies and a murder were committed in
Johannesburg and Durban. The other crimes were committed in the city centre, Sea
Point and Milnerton areas. Ikezi, represented by city attorney Milton de la Haye,
is the only one of the accused who has an attorney. The others told Magele that
they would conduct their own defence. If they get bail, Ijezie said, "our lives
are in danger". "They are dangerous." He said other Nigerians had been victims
of the gang's crime spree, but were too afraid to attend court yesterday.
According to a police statement, Cornellissen investigated the four men shortly
after they were arrested on May 15 in Milnerton, where they were found sitting
in a vehicle allegedly in possession of two unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Over a three-week period, Cornellissen used their fingerprints and uncovered
scores of violent crime cases.
Gulf states lure South African workers (Daily News, 09/06) - More than 5 000
South Africans are working in the Gulf states and local recruitment agencies are
struggling to keep up with demand. The recent attack in Khobar in Saudi Arabia,
in which 22 people - including a South African - were killed is unlikely to
affect recruitment for very long. Carroll-Anne Pollock, operations manager of
PAG, says her organisation has so far this year placed about 30 people in jobs
in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, and has more vacancies to fill.
"There is a demand for technical skills, particularly from the big oil
companies," she says. "We have had requests for mechanical, chemical and civil
engineers, instrumentation technicians and IT experts. They also need financial
experts, auditors, accountants and financial controllers." Foreign workers are
generally given two or three-year contracts, but are paid in US dollars and
enjoy excellent benefits. "Salaries are often tax-free, they receive free
housing and medical care, a transport allowance, free schooling for their
children and, in some cases, even air tickets to come back to South Africa for a
visit halfway through the contract," she says. Pollock says that although the
life-style in the less-progressive Muslim countries is relatively restricted,
they have had few cases of South Africans returning home before the end of their
contracts. Theresa Gibson, of People Placements International, an agency
specialising in medical personnel, says: "The medical profession in the oil-rich
countries of the region is just about completely run by expatriates." The custom
in Muslim countries is that women do not work, so there is an obvious need for
nurses, but also a shortage in areas such as radiography, physiotherapy and
medical technology - all professions where women predominate. "South Africans,
along with Australians, New Zealanders, Americans and people from the UK, can be
found in most of the hospitals and medical facilities," Gibson says. And there
is no shortage of these facilities, with plenty of the oil wealth being spent on
state-of-the art hospitals and cutting-edge technology. People Placements
Inter-national has sent about 250 South Africans to the region in the past two
years. Not all have been medical - they also supply security, technical and IT
workers. Gibson says South Africans are particularly sought-after. "South
Africans are capable of multi-tasking and get the work done, even if it means
doing things outside their area of specialisation." Gibson believes most South
Africans are lured by the pay and benefits. "In the medical profession there you
do not really learn anything that you could not have at home. The salaries are,
however, well above what a nurse, for example, would get at home and then there
are the benefits of no tax, free housing and medical care." The Khobar attack
has affected Gibson's business - a recruitment visit by a Saudi hospital this
month has been postponed - but she is confident that things will return to
normal soon. "I was working there during the September 11 tragedy and we never
really felt unsafe." The oil wealth has brought rapid development to the region,
but development of skills has not kept pace. So, it seems, South Africans will
continue to be lured by fabulous job offers.
Professionals flocking to the Gulf states (The Star, 08/06) -
More than 5,000 South Africans are working in the Gulf states and local
recruitment agencies are struggling to keep up with demand. The recent attack in
Khobar in Saudi Arabia, in which 22 people - including a South African - were
killed in unlikely to affect recruitment for very long. Carall-Anne Pollock,
operations manager of PAG, says her organisation has so far this year placed
about 30 people in jobs in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, and has
more vacancies to fill. "There is a demand for technical skills, particularly
from the big oil companies," she says, "We have had requests for mechanical,
chemical and civil engineers, instrumentation technicians and IT experts. They
also need financial experts, auditors, accountants and financial controllers.
Foreign workers are generally given two or three-year contracts but are paid in
US dollars and enjoy excellent benefits. "Salaries are often tax-free, they
receive free housing and medical care, a transport allowance, free schooling for
their children and in some cases even air tickets to come back to South Africa
for a visit halfway through the contract," she says. Pollock says that, although
the lifestyle in the less-progressive Muslim countries is relatively restricted,
they have had few cases of South Africans returning home before the end of their
countries. Theresa Gibson of People Placements International, an agency
specialising in medical personnel, says: "The medical profession in the oil-rich
countries of the region are just about completely run by expatriates." The
custom in Muslim countries is that women do not work, so there is an obvious
need for nurses, but also a shortage in areas such as radiography, physiotherapy
and medical technology - all professions where women predominate. "South
Africans, along with Australians, New Zealanders, Americans and people from UK,
can be found in most of the hospitals and medical facilities," Gibson says. And
there is no shortage of these facilities, with plenty of the oil wealth being
spent on state-of-the art hospitals and cutting-edge technology. People
Placements International has sent about 250 South Africans to the region in the
past two years. Not all have been medical - they also supply security, technical
and IT workers. Gibson says South Africans are particularly sought-after. "South
Africans are capable of multi-tasking and get the work done, even if it means
doing things outside of their area of specialisation." Gibson believes most
South Africans are lured by the pay and benefits. "In the medical profession
there you do not really learn anything that you could not have at home. The
salaries are, however, well above what a nurse, for example, would get at home
and then there are the benefits of no tax, free housing and medical care." The
Khobar attack has affected Gibson's business - a recruitment visit by a Saudi
hospital this month has been postponed - but she is confident that things will
return to normal soon. "I was working there during the September 11 tragedy and
we never really felt unsafe. There were threats and attacks on American staff,
but it was accepted that we are Africans, and not involved." The oil wealth has
brought rapid development to the region, but development of skills has not kept
pace. So, it seems, South Africans will continue to be lured by fabulous job
offers.
Informal settlement violence: MEC slams xenophobia ( SABC News, 08/05) -
Maureen Modiselle, the North West safety and liaison MEC, has blamed the
xenophobia that is allegedly the source of violence between Xhosa- and Shangaan-speaking
people at informal settlements near Rustenburg. Modiselle further expressed her
distress at hearing on a visit to the Zakhele informal settlement today that
violence had broken out after the rape of an eight-year-old Xhosa girl,
allegedly by a 15-year-old Shangaan boy. "It is tragic that a boy of this age is
involved in such conduct," she said in a statement. In the past week two people
have been killed, 52 shacks and nine vehicles have been burnt and four people
have been injured, Modiselle said. About 30 families who lost their shacks were
accommodated at a local church and at least 28 people have been arrested.
Modiselle said the provincial government would involve institutions like the
Human Rights Commission "to promote the spirit of peace and human rights in
these informal settlements". She also said her government was about to conclude
a study, commissioned in 2003, to look at socio-economic conditions in the
settlements. "The public will be informed of the exact long-term solutions to
the violence in this area." She said the rape "perhaps best explains the many
socio-economic variables that are prevalent in most of these informal
settlements. I am deeply distressed by the trauma and experience that this young
girl is going through. All the necessary steps have been taken by the SA Police
Service to ensure speedy and appropriate counselling. "Equally I am worried
about the effect that the arrest and subsequent criminal processes will have on
this young boy." It could not be established whether the Shangaan-speakers were
South Africans, Mozambicans or both. The community traditionally lives on both
sides of the border. Families affected by the violence will receive food and
trauma counselling. Nomonde Rasmeni, the North West social development MEC,
said: "As a social intervention, the department will register the affected
families for social relief of distress and other grants, distribute food to the
affected families and also offer counselling to the traumatised people in both
areas. Eight families will get food parcels in Freedom Park this afternoon after
they were also left destitute."
Rustenburg squatter camp calm after clashes (SABC News, 08/06) - The
situation at the strife-torn KwaZakhele squatter settlement in Rustenburg is
still tense but calm following yesterday's runaway fierce battles between two
tribes. The clashes have allegedly been sparked by an incident where a Xhosa
girl (8) was raped by a Shangaan boy (15). Maureen Modiselle, the Northwest
safety and liaison MEC, says 28 people have since been arrested and police have
launched an intensive investigation. More arrests can be expected. As tension
amounts, families continue to flee the area to ask for shelter elsewhere. More
than 10 cars have been torched as a war of xenophobia engulfs the settlement.
Some families spent a cold night in public buildings trying to escape the raging
violence. Extra police reinforcements have been ordered from neighbouring towns
in an effort to contain the violence and to restore calm.
Immigration Act could be passed in two months (SABC News, 08/06) - If
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the new home affairs minister, has her way, the
Immigration Act will be passed by August. "For as long as we do not have these
regulations in place we are hitting very serious problems out there," she told
Parliament's portfolio committee on home affairs today. She said amendments to
the regulations for the act would be taken to the government and administration
on June 15. "We will take the amendments before Cabinet on June 23 and we are
hoping that Cabinet will give us the go ahead to go before Parliament on the
24th." The minister said the committee would then have two weeks to deliberate
on the amendments and call for public comment. "We are hoping that the committee
will be able to deal with the act in July. If the committee is able to deal with
the act and call for public participation, then we should be able to pass it in
August. "This is the only way of ensuring that we meet the president's three
month deadline. We will, in the main, be dependent on whether the committee will
be able to deal with this at the same speed that the department has," she said.
She was apologetic about the "steam-rolling" but stressed that the act had to be
passed as soon as possible. "The timeframes are very very tight. I felt it was
very tight but it is also a challenge for the department." The passing of the
Immigration Act was the cause for tension between Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the
former home affairs minister, and President Thabo Mbeki. It resulted in a court
battle. The court action started when Buthelezi hastily promulgated the
regulations while they were still under discussion by the Cabinet. The Cape High
Court ruled that an order, made in March this year that the regulations be
published, be set aside. Mapisa-Nqakula said some of the amendments had to do
with the powers afforded to the Immigration Advisory Board. The regulations gave
the board executive powers which the act did not. Under the current regulations
the board has a research arm which the minister says should have remained a
responsibility of the department.
All roads lead to Gauteng for tourists (Pretoria News, 07/06) - Gauteng has
always been regarded as the poor step-sister of South African tourism - but not
any more. According to the latest South African Tourism report, half of the
5,6-million tourists who visited South Africa in 2003 preferred Gauteng as their
holiday destination. And the province is attracting more than twice as many
visitors as that province down south which boasts a world famous mountain and
the sea. Gauteng attracted 50,7% visitors, more than double the Western Cape's
23,5% and KwaZulu-Natal's 18,6%. Gauteng's share of the visitors rose 1,1
percentage points, from 49,6% in 2002, as opposed to the Western Cape and
KwaZulu-Natal which both experienced a drop in numbers - 25,4% and 19,2%
respectively compared with 2002. "Tourists" are defined as visitors who do not
necessarily spend a night in the province, and include shoppers from other
African countries. The African market makes up for 65% of the tourist market,
with the highest number of visitors coming from Lesotho, then Swaziland,
Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Gauteng also attracts more business trips
than other provinces do, at over 800 000. The province also boasts the highest
figures when it comes to bed nights. A total of 60 303 075 bed nights were spent
in South Africa in 2003. Some 31% were spent in Gauteng, a 0,1% increase,
followed by the Western Cape at 26% and KwaZulu-Natal at 15%. The Western Cape
was the only province to experience a drop in bed nights, down from 30%. Gauteng
also experienced the most spending. Of the R53,9-billion spent in South Africa
by tourists in 2003, R18,7-billion was spent in Gauteng, compared to
R8,1-billion in the Western Cape, and R7,4-billion in KwaZulu Natal. Shopping is
the top tourist activity, making up 25,4% of visits. Next priority on visitors'
lists is nightlife at 15,4%, with social activities such as visiting family and
friends at 12%, and wildlife and beaches both at 7%, followed by visits to
cultural and heritage sites at 6%. The report states that the "bedrock of the
tourism economy in South Africa remains the domestic market and land-based
travel from neighbouring SADC countries". South Africa ranks 30th in
international tourist arrivals. The top five countries are France, Spain, US,
Italy and China. Research shows that 99% of foreigners would visit the country
again, while 99% said they would recommend South Africa to others. "Johannesburg
is becoming the business hub of Southern Africa and many countries are using the
city to exhibit their products and to hold conferences. We have four major
convention centres in the city, which is more than most international cities,"
said Johannesburg Tourism Company chief executive Deon Viljoen. Last year the
city hosted 6-million tourists - 3-million domestic, 1-million international and
1,8-million from Africa. The Johannesburg tourism industry is highly regarded,
said Viljoen.
Cape stays top as tourism numbers rise again (Cape Argus, 07/06) - The
Western Cape has once again proved to be the destination of choice for visitors
to South Africa. Figures for the last quarter of 2003 show that visitors spent
more nights in the province than in any other. According to the SA Tourism
report for the last quarter of last year, half of the 5.6 million visitors to
South Africa in 2003 passed through Gauteng. And although only 28% of visitors
spent time in the Western Cape, they stayed longer in the province and gave a
greater financial fillip to the tourism industry. One reason for the relatively
longer stays was probably because eight of the 10 most popular national tourist
attractions are here, according to Nokhuthula Dube, chief executive officer of
the Cape's new Destination Marketing Organisation. The V&A Waterfront once again
rated as top destination for 2003, followed by Table Mountain, Cape Point, the
Wine Route, the Garden Route, Kirstenbosch, Robben Island and Oudtshoorn ostrich
farms. Popular places outside the Western Cape were Kruger National Park (9) and
Durban beach front (10). Western Cape townships were rated 23rd in a list of 25
popular destinations. The report was based on surveys conducted at Johannesburg
and Cape Town airports. Western Cape foreign visitor numbers fell fractionally
from the last quarter of 2002. Gauteng's share rose 1.1 percentage points, from
49.6%. "Visitors" are defined as foreign arrivals not including workers and
contract workers, and they include shoppers from other African countries.
Altogether 65% of visitors come from African countries, with the highest numbers
from Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in that order. But
Dube was pleased with Gauteng's performance. "If they are attracting more
tourists, it is positive for the country as a whole," she said. Many tourists
visited more than one province. Gauteng attracted more business trips than other
provinces, more than 800 000. The largest chunk of the R53.9 billion spent by
visitors, R18.7bn, went to Gauteng, compared to R8.1bn in the Western Cape and
R7.4bn in KwaZulu-Natal. Shopping was the main goal, listed by 25.4% of
visitors. Dube said Johannesburg was a gateway and the retail and business hub.
"I think the challenge for the Western Cape is to get some leverage on business
visitors who are in Johannesburg and get them down to Cape Town to enjoy what we
have to offer. "It is important for us to look at what we can do to capitalise
on the growth experienced in Gauteng and look at what we can do to compliment
that growth." Steven Thomas, chairman of Backpacker Tourism South Africa,
agreed: "It does not matter where they stop, as long as they are coming into the
country." Research shows 99% of foreign visitors would like to come again, and
99% also said they would recommend South Africa to others.
Renewed clashes in Rustenburg (SABC News, 07/06) - More than 40 shacks have
been destroyed by fire in renewed clashes between Xhosa and Tsonga speaking
residents of Sakhele informal settlement near Rustenburg, in the North West.
Nine motor vehicles have been burned and four people have been admitted to
hospital with gunshot wounds. Twenty-eight people have been arrested. The latest
development follows clashes last week where two people were killed and more than
12 shacks were burned down. A large contingent of police has been deployed at
the settlement to avoid further incidents.Maureen Modiselle, the North West
safety and security MEC, who visited the area today, says violence between the
Xhosas and the Tsongas was sparked by an alleged rape of an eight-year-old girl,
who went shopping at a spaza shop belonging to a Tsonga.Modiselle says Xhosas
burned about 40 shacks and more than nine vehicles belonging to the Tsongas. She
described the situation as tense, but under police surveillance.
Shameful truth about SA's treatment of refugees (Sunday Times, 06/06) - Two
Rwandan teenagers seeking asylum from genocide were raped, imprisoned with
adults and sent from pillar to post. When Deborah and Mina fled to South Africa
from Rwanda, the two teenage girls were looking for safety, security and care.
Instead, they have been raped, thrown in jail, shunted back and forth between
police station and court and let down by one adult and authority figure after
another. If not for the eleventh-hour intervention of an astute social worker,
they would have been deported to Rwanda, where they have neither family nor
friends, and dumped back on the streets of Kigali. The sisters - they can't be
identified because they are under-age - are being kept in a place of safety in
Bloemfontein while their lawyers gather the relevant information to make a
proper application for asylum or refugee status. They have a harrowing story to
tell, one which highlights the gaps in law, policy and practice relating to
children unaccompanied by their parents, who end up in South Africa, claiming
they are fleeing their home countries and who want to apply for official refugee
standing. Before 1994, their family must have seemed like a model of
inter-racial harmony: the father was a Tutsi and their mother a Hutu. But when
the genocide began, they were a special target. Their father was murdered and
the two girls, their older brother and their mother fled, on foot, to a refugee
camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But their lives were in constant
danger, and they returned to Kigali, where they sought shelter with a friend of
the mother. Very soon, the mother was detained and the girls now do not know
where she is, or even whether she is still alive. They have also lost touch with
their brother. About a year ago, both girls were forced from the temporary
shelters they had found, and began to live on the streets. It was a terrifying
period. Always short of food and clothes and in need of shelter, one of the
girls also saw the man who had murdered her father, and from then on felt
constantly afraid that he would find and kill her too. Just when they started to
talk about leaving the country, they met a truck driver who said he would take
them to South Africa when he left in February, and that they would be able to
get papers and accommodation there. Throughout the journey he kept them hidden
behind closed curtains in the cabin. However, when they eventually arrived in
South Africa, the driver began demanding sex from the girls and threatened to
leave them "in the jungle" if they did not comply. Their lawyer, Jacob van Gar-deren
of Lawyers for Human Rights - who has interviewed them extensively - said the
girls were raped by the truck driver. When they resisted his demands, he dumped
them in Bloemfontein near the railway station. But it was a case of jumping from
the frying pan into the fire. The sisters found a police station, where they
explained they were on their way to Cape Town to be assisted by the South
African authorities. They were sent to the magistrate's court. An official there
sent them to the Home Affairs department, but they were sent back to the
magistrate's office. When they got there, another official told them to go back
to Home Affairs. When they did so, an official carted them off to prison. A
couple of days later they were admitted to a place of safety. To their alarm,
they were taken to the Rwandan Embassy in Pretoria for travel documents to
return to Kigali, and sent to see the Rwandan ambassador. They told Van Garderen
that they were afraid during this interview and feared further action when they
arrived in Rwanda. At about this time they got their first lucky break.
Childcare worker Feziwe Bacela, at the place of safety, realised that the
children were not being correctly handled in terms of their attempt to apply for
refugee status, and discovered that they were scheduled for immediate
deportation. So she phoned the Centre for Child Law in Pretoria and informed
director Ann Skelton of the girls' presence in the institution, and that they
were to be flown out the next morning. Working under intense pressure, Skelton
and Van Garderen put together an urgent application which was heard by a judge
at nine that night. He agreed to order that their deportation be put on hold
until a number of issues had been satisfactorily resolved. The two are still in
the place of safety. Van Garderen has visited them to consult with them about
the next course of action, and he and Skelton hope that in the short term they
will be placed in foster care with a willing family. This would mean they could
go to school and have some kind of normal life. In the meantime, their lawyers
will ensure the state considers the girls' application and that it is supported
with proper information about their circumstances. Skelton and Van Garderen are
concerned that so many people bungled their handling of the girls, and listed
some of the mistakes made by officials: "They should immediately have been
identified as children in need of care but none of the agents they saw did so.
Officials of the Department of Home Affairs refused to allow them to make an
application for asylum as they should have done. They should not have been taken
to the embassy of the country from which they were fleeing: that is a strong
international principle. "Unaccompanied children who want to apply for asylum
should be given legal help, but they were not. The only reason they have legal
help now is because of the sharp-witted social worker who alerted us. "The
decision to return them to Rwanda was made with no consideration as to how and
by whom they would be received there. This is also unacceptable. "We are further
concerned about the fact that they were put in jail. We don't know the
conditions under which they were imprisoned, but the Constitution makes it very
clear that children are simply not allowed to be detained with adults." But it's
not just that the authorities failed to use the law as it now exists to help the
children. Or that they violated the constitutional principle that the best
interests of children need to be seen as paramount. The story of the two sisters
also illustrates the urgent need to improve the children's Bill now being
considered - one of its serious flaws is that it removes references to refugee
children which had been retained in the earlier versions. It's also an open
secret that the new brooms at Home Affairs have earmarked the Immigration Act
for reconsideration. This would provide a good opportunity to ensure that
precise guidelines are laid down for handling such situations. The harrowing
saga of the two girls shows that there is much room for improvement in the law,
in policy and practice. unaccompanied children arriving in South Africa seeking
asylum should be treated with dignity and compassion and in accordance with the
principles of the Constitution.
Home Affairs prioritises customers (Cape Argus, 03/06) - Grumpy, unhelpful
Home Affairs clerks could soon be a thing of the past with the department's
plans to lift employees' morale through an initiative called "The customer is
always right". Phindi Mazomba, chief director of human resources and development
at Home Affairs, told a parliamentary committee yesterday the campaign would
begin in the next few months and aimed to address numerous complaints about the
attitudes of frontline staff. It would include a training manual for staff
explaining how to deal with clients and a reward and recognition system for
eager-to-please staffers. Mazomba said basic computer training for all employees
had also been introduced to teach officials how to use the many computers
gathering dust in various provincial offices. In the presentation to the home
affairs committee, officials also said the department had processed 35 000
divorces during the last financial year. During the same period it issued 1.7
million birth certificates, 505 000 death certificates and 233 000 marriage
licences. There were an additional 20 951 customary unions. Joel Chavalala,
chief director of civic services, said the department was working with its IT
division on a tracking system to enable clerks to answer questions about the
status of pending documents. Another priority was a national registration
campaign that was under way. Minister of Home Affairs Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
was due to go on a national tour of provinces to encourage people to apply for
ID books and for birth certificates for their children. Chavalala also said the
department was gradually moving away from demanding paperwork from people in the
forms of marriage certificates and written assurances from schools to prove
identity. "We are moving towards investigative methods where our immigration
officers will go out and make sure the information provided is authentic," he
said. Immigration officers were currently being retrained.
Home Affairs spends R500m on hi-tech (Business Day, 02/06) - The home
affairs department is to pump R500m into its information technology upgrade this
financial year, boosting its Home Affairs National Identity System (Hanis).
Department director-general Barry Gilder told Parliament's home affairs
portfolio committee that the investment in Hanis could see it issuing the new
smart card IDs this financial year. Government has already put more than R1bn
into the project and the department's new management has given it high priority
in its turnaround strategy. The issuing of the new "smart" ID cards, which have
a microchip, would start this financial year, followed by the issuing of more
than 30-million cards over a period of five years, said Gilder. Advises had
already submitted the procurement and technical models for the new ID card. The
procurement process would start "shortly" and a memorandum would go to the
cabinet within a month. Also, the department will, during the next six months,
introduce a unique permanent 13-digit ID number to all, as well as a "smart"
passport, using similar technology to the new ID card, increasing passport
security. The long-awaited Hanis, on which government has already spent R1bn,
had been given an injection of more than R250m in this financial year to
redesign it into a system that offers a "comprehensive integrated biometric
database", said Gilder. The project is designed to replace traditional IDs with
cards containing personal data and linked to a national database storing the
fingerprints of all citizens and incorporating the national population register,
movement control system, the refugee and illegal databases. It would play a key
part in reducing fraud and had been designed in partnership with Statistics SA
to ensure a "comprehensive and reliable database of all info required by
government for statistical and planning purposes", said Gilder. He said R250m
was earmarked for the filling of 1000 posts in the department this financial
year in order to improve delivery. Part of the plan was to increase the number
of employees from 7500 to 11700 in three years.
Smart passport on way (Cape Argus, 02/06) - South Africa will have a "smart"
passport within two years as the government moves to tighten security around
travel documents, Home Affairs director-general Barry Gilder said. The
announcement yesterday came a week after National Police Commissioner Jackie
Selebi told MPs that a box of fake South African passports had been found in a
London house and were believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda network. Not only
would the new travel document increase passport security, but it would speed up
the processing of citizens at ports of entry, Gilder said. The smart passport
was similar to the long-awaited national identity card - or smart card - that
would be introduced during this financial year, he told a joint meeting of
parliament's home affairs committees yesterday. Gilder said the national ID card
would be put out to tender soon. It would be introduced over the next five
years, at about 6 million a year, he said. A unique, permanent ID number would
also be introduced within six months. The number would not change with status or
date of birth and would prevent multiple identities, he said. In a bid to stop
fraudulent marriages, the department would also amend marriage legislation. The
rise in the number of fraudulent marriages where a foreigner paid a local to
marry them on paper, or bribed home affairs officials to marry them to unwitting
citizens, was of great concern, Gilder said.
Two appear in court over ethnic clashes (SABC News, 02/06) - Two people
appeared briefly in the Bafokeng Magistrate Court today near Rustenburg in North
West Province, while another four are expected to appear tomorrow in the same
court. Their appearance is related to the killing of two people in what has been
described as ethnic clashes between Xhosas and Tsonga speaking people, at the
Freedom Park squatter camp near Rustenburg over the weekend. Police acted
swiftly to restore law and order at the Freedom Park squatter camp, following a
weekend of unprecedented violence in the area. Siyabonga Mafika (22) and
Mgenisile Masegadi (25) are now facing 10 counts of public violence and arson.
The case against the two has been postponed until next week Wednesday, for
further police investigations. Another 4 suspects will appear in court tomorrow
on charges of public violence and police say they are confident that more
arrests will be made soon.
This page last updated 5 Nov 2004.
