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XAVERI SA and the REFUGEE ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE (RAJ), in view of the anti-foreign sentiments which are on the rise in South  Africa and the xenophobic activities that are manifesting as a result, which at times flare up in violent attacks not only on foreigners but refugees as well, hereby wish to add our voice to the senseless and incoherent ones that are dominating the media and misleading the people of South Africa, thereby worsening the plight of refugees in the country, for the specific aim of making a positive contribution that would bring these negative developments to an end once and for all:
 
A) We condemn the deliberate mixing of refugees and migrants by DHA which has made it completely difficult to differentiate between refugee and migrant and created unnecessary delays in the screening of asylum applicants resulting in a huge backlog of asylum seeker applications which will need a higher number of staff to clear.
 
B) We alarmed by the overwhelming numbers of asylum seekers who have been held up in the backlog, some of whom have been waiting for adjudication of their claims for periods ranging from 10 – 20 years:  
- This, in turn, means that the asylum seekers are having their rights and dignity violated as a result and an unnecessary burden put on their financial resources;
- This has also been responsible for the rising number of inactive cases which is the number of asylum seekers who have since stopped renewing their papers and whose whereabouts, therefore, cannot be verified – whose numbers now stand at about half a million.
 
C) We are deeply disturbed by the maladministration by DHA Asylum Seeker Management Department as refugee permits need to be renewed on a regular basis which has created chaos at the refugee reception centers by causing long queues, poor quality of service and corruption, as well as making it difficult for new applicants to access the offices.
 
D) We affirm that DHA’s inability to deport failed asylum seekers in a timely manner is creating a situation of undocumented and illegal migrants in local communities, which is now the creating socio-economic tensions that are fueling xenophobic attacks.
 
E) We note with concern the failure of municipalities to implement by-laws and which has resulted in migrants with asylum papers violating bye-laws and fuelling xenophobic sentiments among the local people.
 
F) We recognize the reality that social cohesion interventions have to date tended to be reactive and there is an absence of a coordinated government-wide and UNHCR initiatives to resolve these tensions and create communities of orderliness, peace, and diversity.
 
G) In conclusion, we recommend a complete overhaul of the current chaotic refugee management system and call for a full investigation into how some people were allowed to enter through it for purposes of opening tuck-shops at the expense of genuine refugees.
 
UNHCR defines a refugee as: ‘…someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence.
 
Migrants: a person who moves from one place to another, looking for money.
 

Issued by XAVERI-SA and Refugee Alliance for Justice