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Wilson came to Johannesburg in 2006, leaving behind a comfortable life as a white-collar worker in Zimbabwe after his political activities made him feel his life was in danger. After learning he was HIV positive, he was referred to a clinic where he was required to show his ID. Under South African law, refugees and asylum-seekers have the same rights to access free health care as citizens - the problem comes with obtaining the documentation to prove one's status. South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has a backlog of about 50,000 asylum-seeker applications, and Gilbert is one of them.
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