Solidarity: Cape Town protest in support of Zimbabwean refugees

Friday 12 October 2007 1pm

Press Statement for Immediate Release

Protests at Home affairs Planned

There will be a 24 hour picket outside of home affairs (the refugee home affairs beneath the high way next to the International Conference centre) in Cape Town starting at 8:30pm on Sunday the 14th Oct, where in an attempt to get attention, foreign students from UCT along with some South Africans (black and white) will be sleeping on the street along side our illegal friends- the Zimbabweans.

There will be further demonstrations in front of home affairs (the refugee home affairs beneath the high way next to the International Conference centre) at 13:00 on Monday the 15th Oct where large numbers of our PASSOP members will be coming through from the townships.

Reason in short – Home affairs has failed- the corruption has continued..

The full story-

We are not being listened to. We have continued in our attempts to be heard and the time has come for us to make sure that this issue receives the attention it deserves. The home affairs department dealing with our asylum seekers (applications) is conveniently hidden beneath the highway, on the way to the waterfront, between the international conference centre and the cranes that load container ships. The queues are unbelievable and yet no -one sees, there are people who have slept at home affairs and been in the queue from as early as 4 am for four months and yet have still not been served. Inexplicably, while these people wait in the queue, other people are served. The reason; they have clearly paid for their papers. We cannot allow for these human-rights violations to continue. There are, on average, at least 65ppl who sleep in front of home affairs daily. Some of these people have degrees and well sought after skills. They have left countries which have nothing to offer: basic rights, jobs or healthcare. Their reason for sleeping at home affairs is that they are illegal immigrants until their applications have been submitted. Yet on a weekly basis they are refused the chance/possibility of submitting their applications, and week after week they watch the bribery continue. Some do not have the money to buy their papers and the few who have the money have too much respect for the law to buy their papers, which they shouldn’t have to buy in the first place. If their papers are due then they should be given access to them.

We cannot sit back and watch illegal immigrants being treated like criminals and allow for them to be arrested and deported only to return or face a definite death not only of theirs but of their families.

Rumours have been spreading about a clamp down on illegal immigrants starting in November, the radios have been announcing that immigrants have 2 weeks to sort out or renew theirs papers, and yet home affairs even shut early (Friday the fifth) and failed to open on Saturday the 6 th.

We have seen how those employed to receive applications treat the immigrants like animals. We refuse to accept the arrests of these immigrants – it is believed that 3000apx immigrants are deported each month (mainly Zimbabweans). We had previously made a statement (29 th May), but there have been no changes.

We will protest, in a very provocative way, we will make ourselves noticed.

For any enquires contact Braam Hanekom on 0832561140

Copy of press statement on 29th May 2007

PASSOP statement on deportation of illegal immigrants and corruption of Home Affairs Department

We are completely against the detention (and ultimately the deportation) of so-called illegal immigrants amidst the rampant corruption and inefficiency of the offices of Home Affairs in dealing with the issuing of asylum-seeking and refugee documents. It has become clear that without involving themselves in acts of corruption it is impossible for immigrants to acquire the documents required for legal status in South Africa. We believe that the inefficiency of the offices dealing with the issueing of their “papers” is directly related to the common (illegal) sale of such documents. It is our opinion then that the “illegal” immigrants are people who are in the process of waiting in long queues attempting to legitimately acquire their asylum-seekers status. These illegal immigrants in many instances have tried, in vain, for many weeks, to submit their applications, arriving at the offices sometimes as early as six am and leaving when told to. They are told to return and continue to do so until eventually they are forced to “buy” their papers or they are arrested for being illegal immigrants.

We demand the following:

· A thorough investigation into the departments engaging in the corruption regarding the issuing of their “papers”

· No arrests of immigrants for being without legal status be made until such an investigation is completed

· That home affairs examine closely what attempts to legitimately acquire their legal status the 3000 plus detained “illegal immigrants” in Lindela have made before deporting them

We hope that these demands are respected by the people of South Africa, by The Department of Home Affairs, the SAPS and the Government of South Africa.

For any further enquiries contact

Braam Hanekom on 0832561140, braam@passop.co.za.