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Inner city blues - migrants in search of treatment

At the border fence: Peter is a “transporter”, helping Zimbabwean migrants across the border. He says people swallow their fear because they have no alternative. Click here for more.. 270220082.mp3 Shervorn Monaghan/IRIN

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. 

Wilson's story


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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