Programme News
16 March 2014
(News)
South Africa's tourism website describes the country as the "land of good times and friendly people". Sadly, Araya Y, a pregnant Somali refugee living in Port Elizabeth, did not experience this side of the country. Instead, when she went to a government district hospital in July 2010 to give birth, she was abused by medical staff and denied care.
"The nurse spoke to me...
13 March 2014
(News)
The government is proposing tighter rules on immigration that nongovernmental organisations believe could cause practical difficulties for asylum seekers, migrants and foreign spouses trying to get into or stay in South Africa.
Several refugee rights organisations have submitted their objections and suggestions on the draft immigration regulations, saying that some groups would be...
10 March 2014
(News)
Home Affairs’ draft immigration regulations could be damaging to asylum seekers while failing to stem the tide of immigrants flocking to South Africa, say refugee rights groups.
The regulations, which closed to public comment on Friday, are expected to come into force soon – and, according to Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor, will “usher in a new era of secure,...
4 March 2014
(News)
Under apartheid you could be detained for 90 days without trial, under democracy you can be detained for 120 days without trial – if you’re an undocumented migrant.
Documents matter because they’re your first ticket to get you out of a place like the notorious Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp.
Built in 1996 the centre is a holding facility to repatriate those in the...
21 February 2014
(News)
Home Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said a total of 50 815 duplicates were on record, a huge drop from the initial figure of 598 000 given by the department’s director-general, Mkuseli Apleni, in 2011.
Mamoepa, however, last week said that only 50 815 duplicates were detailed in the department’s system. A total of 28 185 of these IDs were verified before December 31, 2013...
21 February 2014
(News)
Attorney at Lawyers for Human Rights, Osmond Mngomezulu, says counsellors who have established themselves and have years of experience charge high amounts of money to represent their clients in court.
Mngomezulu says clients are told which advocate has won cases and based on that, they decide whether they are going to employ that advocate to represent them. He was speaking on SAfm...
19 February 2014
(News)
It has become taboo in much of the world to discriminate against people because of their religion, skin colour or sex. Despite recent setbacks, the same goes for sexual orientation. Gradually we are realising that these are arbitrary distinctions, at least when it comes to law and policy.
Yet one type of discrimination remains rife and accepted across the planet, albeit almost as arbitrary as...
5 February 2014
(News)
The hopes of thousands of asylum seekers in the Western Cape have been dashed by Director General of Home Affairs Mkuseli Apleni.
In a memorandum dated 31 January 2014, the DG states the department will not reopen the Cape Town Refugee Reception Office (CTRRO), which was the second busiest in the country, nor will it process any applications made after 30 June 2012 at the Cape Town Temporary...
26 January 2014
(News)
A mental health and HIV project aimed at assisting traumatised refugees and asylum-seekers has yielded such good results that it has been extended for another year.
The project was launched by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation Torture (CSVR) last year to provide holistic support to...
24 January 2014
(News)
The unrest that flared up in Soweto and other areas this week showed a lack of compassion for foreign nationals trying to make a living in South Africa, Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) said on Saturday.
“The LHR is shocked and disappointed by the blatant disregard for human life in these attacks and calls for a swift and efficient end to the violence,” said LHR attorney Patricia...