Shambolic Home Affairs leaves immigrants who are legally in the country undocumented

Since lockdown asylum seekers and refugees have been denied crucial services By Tariro Washinyira Refugees and asylum seekers are facing a myriad of problems because Home Affairs has not provided crucial in-person services for two years. Despite a blanket extension of permits various government departments and private sector facilities are not accepting valid documents, not even some Home Affairs officers. There...

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Refugees who arrived after lockdown have no way to apply for asylum

Asylum application backlog set to grow, with Refugee Reception Offices closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic By Tariro Washinyira Refugees who arrived in South Africa after March 2020 have had no way to apply for asylum status. Accumulating new applications will put further pressure on attempts to clear an already huge backlog of asylum claims. A UNHCR-funded joint project...

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Centurion recyclers battle against eviction

“All we ask is that they be moved to a permanent place where they will be able to work and feed their families” By Kimberly Mutandiro The Gauteng High Court ordered the eviction of the occupiers of the Lyttleton farm in Centurion — known as Mushroomville to the people living there — in June last year. The court also said that...

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Waste reclaimers in court over right to work

City of Tshwane asked to provide land suitable not only for living but for work  By Elna Schütz Wastepickers facing eviction from land in Centurion are arguing that the City of Tshwane must provide not only alternative housing but space for their materials. The group of 200, some of whom have lived and worked in the area for 15 years or more, want...

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SA’s new refugee regulations could have been drafted by Trump, says activist

Ban on political activity is “illegal, unconstitutional and contrary to the UN convention on refugees” By Tania Broughton South Africa’s new rules governing asylum seekers and refugees could easily have been drafted by the Trump administration, says Sharon Ekambaram of Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR). The regulations, which forbid refugees and asylum seekers from engaging in any political activity, even if it concerns...

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