Schwartzerwitz: End of the line for illegal Zim nationals

Thursday, September 2, 2010

End of the line for illegal Zim nationals

It was announced at a Cabinet briefing yesterday that the decision was taken in order to legitimise the estimated 3 million Zimbabweans living in the country illegally, many with fake South Africa identity documents.

It will allow them time to obtain passports, work or study permits, as well as other documents that will permit them to be in the country legitimately. But if they don't get them by the end of the year, they will be sent packing.

Migration experts and NGOs have slammed the move, calling it an endorsement of "a policy of mass deportation".

Briefing journalists yesterday, government spokesman Themba Maseko said the Cabinet "had approved the proposal to end the special dispensation for Zimbabweans".

"The special dispensation that was put in place during the political crisis in Zimbabwe was to allow free movement of Zimbabweans into the country to come live, study and start businesses here without requiring a permit," he said.

"But we believe some form of stability has returned to Zimbabwe and therefore all Zimbabweans will now be treated like any other foreign nationals."

The special dispensation was introduced in April 2009, just as Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe was concluding his eight months as caretaker President.

It allowed Zimbabweans to obtain permits which granted them the right to stay in South Africa for six months, and the right to education, employment and healthcare in the country.

But the Cabinet's decision means that Zimbabweans living, working and studying in South Africa will have to apply for the necessary documentation from Zimbabwe and then apply to the South African Department of Home Affairs for work or study permits before the end of the year, or face deportation.

Maseko said there would be an amnesty for Zimbabweans who may have obtained South African identification documents fraudulently on condition that they return the fake IDs to home affairs and apply for legal documents.

Advocacy groups and immigration experts have slammed the Cabinet decision as short-sighted.

Duncan Breen, advocacy officer at the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, said the organisation "would be extremely concerned about any policy of mass deportation".

He said a permit which allows Zimbabwean migrants more flexibility between the countries would be more ideal.

"Internationally, what would be best would be some form of permit to enable people to go backward and forward. What that does is enable a greater number of people to remain in Zimbabwe," said Breen. (Timeslive)

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Every Pogrom needs an Armband....

Welcome to Schwartzerwitz. The inevitable consequence of 4 million illegal immigrants arriving in South Africa. More desperate than our local folk they are willing to work longer harder faster for less. The immigrants are more reliable than South African unskilled labour and have outcompeted the local folk. No matter what anyone says it's not FAIR on our locals. Adding 4 million hungry mouths to the country has exacerbated the rocketing food prices felt across the globe. Adding 4 million potential electricity users to the mix has undoubtedly worsened the electricity situation. Having 4 million people send home money to their family drains the economy of money which should stay within the borders. Adding 4 million people and not registering them as taxpayers has cost the country billions. What chance does our government of ridding the country of shacks as per the Millennium Development Goal when 4 million immigrants build/rent shacks. Murambatsvina in Zimbabwe....? Just move to a shack in South Africa. On an individual basis this site condemns violent acts against individuals. However as a collective the illegal immigrants deserve no sympathy and should be deported back from whence they came. These people are economic refugees - "not real refugees" - and they are(generally speaking) in South Africa illegally.

kwerekwere.

The inside cover of my Oxford English dictionary features a word with which I have become all too familiar: the word is kwerekwere.

(It may be more familiar to you with one of its vernacular language–dependant prefixes prepended — the Sotho singular being le– and plural ma–, the Nguni singular being i– and plural ama–). This word is used to refer to black (in the morphological sense) Africans who are not South Africans — South African being defined as Sotho, Nguni, Venda and Tsonga ethnic groups (by that measure the Swazis, Batswana, etc. would be South African?). This word has a very negative sting to it and is often used with contempt. From what I gather it has undertones which speak of how black Africans are believed to be sub–human, too dark and have a pungent smell.