Highest number of Africans seeking UK asylum

Zimbabweans topped the number of Africans seeking asylum in Great Britain last year, the second highest group of people in the world next to Iraqis in the last quarter of 2002. According to the latest statistics released by Britain's Home Office, applications from Zimbabweans increased by almost a third from October, but fell sharply in December, partly due to the introduction of visa regimes introduced in December. When explaining the introduction of the visas last year, Home Secretary David Blunkett said Britain had experienced increasingly large numbers of "unfounded" asylum claims from Zimbabwean nationals and the move would make it much easier for genuine Zimbabwean visitors to travel to the United Kingdom. From October to December, 2,750 Zimbabweans applied for asylum, bringing the total for the year to 7,695. In December 2001, the final figure was 2,115 and in 2000 it was 1,010. Of the 6,225 requests processed last year, 2,245 applicants were granted asylum. Since 2000, Zimbabwe, a former British colony, has been troubled by a controversial land reform programme, which stripped many white farmers of their land. A political crisis has left the opposition challenging last year's presidential election in court, while the country's economy is burdened by an inflation rate of over 200 percent. In addition, more than half of the total population of 11.6 million is in need of food aid. Local and international human rights groups have also repeatedly condemned the government's civil liberties record. John Makumbe, chairman of the rights group Transparency International in Zimbabwe, told IRIN: "The number of people who are skilled, who are educated professionals, but can't get a job, is escalating every month. A number of companies closed for Christmas but didn't reopen in the new year, and if they did, they are operating at between 30 to 40 percent capacity. "Semi-skilled and skilled workers are travelling to the UK, South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland to look for work. The currency is stronger than the Zimbabwe dollar so they are able to repatriate the funds so that their families can buy food, property, cars and send their children to school," said Mukumbe.