A handful of Zimbabweans granted asylum

Just 86 of the thousands of Zimbabweans who have sought asylum in South Africa have been successful in their applications, according to immigration officials. Zimbabwe has experienced six years of bitter economic recession that has seen fuel, food, electricity, essential medical drugs and other basic commodities become scarce due to a shortage of foreign currency needed to pay external suppliers. The economic meltdown has been accompanied by a political crisis following the emergence of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in 1999, and characterised by claims of rights abuses and election rigging. Neighbouring South Africa, a regional economic power, has increasingly become the destination of choice for Zimbabweans seeking to escape mounting poverty and hardship at home. Over the past five years over 250,000 illegal Zimbabwean immigrants have been deported from South Africa. According to the Department of Home Affairs, of the 8,000 applications for political asylum filed by Zimbabweans to date, fewer than 90 have been granted refugee status. The South African policy of "quiet diplomacy" towards Zimbabwe and the endorsement of controversial election results have been perceived by many migrants as explicit support for Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF government. Oliver Kubikwa, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Political Victims Association, told IRIN that "the South African government has been hiding behind the economic migrants issue" as a reason not to grant refugee status to the vast majority of Zimbabwean applicants. An accusation that Department of Home Affairs spokeswoman Cleo Mosana said was "simply not true". Richard Sikakane, an official in the refugee affairs section of the department, said there was a delay in processing refugee status applications because of "a backlog of up to 130,000 cases [of asylum requests from immigrants from various countries] waiting to be reviewed". Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told the news agency Inter-Press Service that her ministry would clear the backlog within the next six months. One of the thousands of Zimbabweans hoping to receive refugee status in South Africa is Tendai, a 33-year-old mother of two (not her real name). After alleged political persecution in Zimbabwe, Tendai fled to Johannesburg, South Africa, three years ago. Despite numerous visits to immigration offices her application has yet to be processed. She told IRIN: "This is the third time this week that I've been here ... most of the time we are asked to queue the whole day, but nothing comes [of it]." Tendai said neither of her children could be enrolled at schools in Johannesburg because they lacked identity documents. For the thousands of Zimbabweans who have entered South Africa illegally, being picked up by the police and detained at the notorious Lindela repatriation centre is a daily risk. A report last week on the findings of an inquiry into deaths at the Lindela centre said many of the detainees who died had suffered from diseases such as meningitis, and that most of the deaths could have been avoided if proper medical care had been provided to the inmates. Minister Mapisa-Nqakula said she had "observed a disturbing trend in the frequency of these deaths, particularly during the months preceding the establishment of the independent committee" investigating the fatalities at the centre in August. In total, 53 fatalities were recorded between January and August - 43 people died soon after being admitted to the nearby Leratong Hospital and nine at the holding centre itself. Unofficial estimates say there may be over two million Zimbabweans living in South Africa illegally.