South Africa: Rethinking asylum

Johannesburg: South Africa should consider temporarily declaring asylum seekers from certain Southern African countries as refugees, to keep up with the burgeoning numbers of migrants, particularly from Zimbabwe, according to a senior government official.

18 Aug 2008

A queue of Southern Africans stretches down the street outside Crown Mines Asylum Determination Centre in Johannesburg.

"It is within our minister's [South African Home Affairs Minister Mapisa-Nqakula] powers to declare groups of people as refugees for a period of time," said Florencia Belvedere, office manager of the Johannesburg Asylum Determination Centre. "This would assist us in processing the large numbers of southern Africans, who are mostly Zimbabweans, approaching our centre."

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