Zimbabwe: Refugees Protest Closure of South Africa Asylum Offices

Refugees in South Africa have marked World Refugee Day by protesting the ongoing closures of asylum offices across the country, accusing the government there of 'disregarding' its international human rights commitments. The government started closing the refugee reception centres in metropolitan areas last year, with plans to reopen the offices at border posts. The Department of Home Affairs has insisted that this will not impact the country's commitments to protecting asylum seekers, but will instead help deal with South Africa's bloated asylum system. But human rights groups have warned that the closure of the offices is making it even harder for asylum seekers to apply for the protection that South Africa is committed to provide. According to Kaajal Ramjathan-Keogh, head of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme at Lawyers for Human Rights, the closures and the decision to move asylum processing to the border areas "has caused considerable anxiety within the refugee community." "South Africa is disregarding its international obligations to protect refugees and these moves are counter-productive," Ramjathan-Keogh said. For the full article, click here.

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Source: allAfrica