Programme News
10 July 2009
(Press release)
The residents of the Mamelodi Hostels will be marching on the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Saturday, 11 July 2009.
The hostels, which accommodate roughly 10 000 people were built by the apartheid government to provide housing to the mostly male migrant workers. The residents living in these hostels have done so for many years and form a distinct community with strong social ties.
In terms...
9 July 2009
(News)
The ideal candidate is a self-motivated attorney with an interest in constitutional and human rights law. Good writing and research skills are essential. High Court litigation experience would be an advantage.
Full terms of reference will be made available on application. Please send applications to Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh on Kaajal [at] lhr [dot] org [dot] za (...
6 July 2009
(Press release)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) and the AIDS Law Project (ALP) today welcomed a decision by the State Prosecutor at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court to withdraw charges of loitering against over 350 homeless people who were arrested on Friday night in the vicinity of the Central Methodist Church.The majority of those who were arrested are Zimbabwean refugees,...
5 July 2009
(Press release)
We welcome the invitation by Community Safety MEC, Khabisi Mosunkutu, to discuss our concerns regarding the arrest of hundreds of destitute people for sleeping outside the Central Methodist Church and in the streets of Johannesburg shortly before midnight on Friday. We will be seeking a meeting with the MEC and other relevant officials in the coming days.At present, almost all of those arrested...
5 July 2009
(News)
South African human rights organisations on Saturday condemned the arrest of about 300 destitute Zimbabwean nationals. "We have been informed by the SAPS (South African Police Service) that the purpose of the raid was to clear the streets and enforce municipal bylaws," the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Resources Centre said in a joint statement. "Large numbers of SAPS and...
4 July 2009
(News)
Lawyers for Human Rights and the Legal Resources Centre condemn the arrest by South African Police Service, Johannesburg Metro Police Department and Pikitup of destitute Zimbabweans seeking refuge outside the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg.We have been informed by the SAPS that the purpose of the raid was to clear the streets and enforce municipal bylaws. Large numbers of SAPS and metro...
24 June 2009
(News)
The special permit for Zimbabwean migrants, announced by the South African government, is being put on hold pending a review of the decision by cabinet. The outgoing home affairs minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced in April 2009 that Zimbabwean migrants would be eligible for a special permit allowing them to stay legally in South Africa for six months.
NGOs concerned with migration...
22 June 2009
(News)
Excerpt: "Violence against non‐nationals has been a long‐standing and increasingly prominent feature of post‐Apartheid South Africa. The May 2008 attacks reflected fundamental tensions and dysfunctions in contemporary South African society and politics. More than a year on, the factors that led to the violence have not been addressed. There is little reason to believe that violence against...
19 June 2009
(Press release)
WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Despite South Africa's international and domestic obligations to provide protection to refugees and asylum seekers, the Department of Home Affairs uses detention as the primary tool for immigration enforcement, including detaining and deporting asylum seekers to countries where they face persecution.
Most detained asylum seekers are held at the Lindela...
15 June 2009
(News)
Widespread xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa in May 2008 generated new debates around the issue of border control. This new report by the Forced Migration Studies Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand refines this discussion by examining the inner workings and practices of the smuggling industry on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border.
There have been many calls for...