News / Africa
Dlamini-Zuma the key over Zim refugees
22 Feb 2011 at 04:39hrs | Views
THE Zimbabwean refugee group Passop says it will cancel plans to demonstrate if Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma makes a breakthrough in today's meeting with her counterparts in Zimbabwe.
Passop - People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty - welcomed Dlamini-Zuma's meeting today with the Zimbabwean co-Ministers of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone.
Passop spokesperson Langton Mariyoga said the government's project of documenting all Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa was currently at an impasse.
"The Zimbabwean consulate recently opened several offices around the country and took millions of rand from Zimbabweans applying for passports.
"After taking their payments of R750 per person, the offices were shut down, leaving thousands of Zimbabweans robbed of their money. The promised delivery time of six weeks never arrived," said Mariyoga.
"We hope that Dlamini-Zuma is able to sweet-talk, and, if necessary, twist their wrists to get them to do their jobs.
"It must also be made clear to media and the public why the Zimbabwean government has failed to deliver."
Mariyoga said if Dlamini-Zuma was convinced by today's meeting that the Zimbabwean government would deliver all the passports, Passop would cancel planned protests.
More than 275000 Zimbabweans living in South Africa applied for work and study visas last year.
Home Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said yesterday that more than 20000 of those applications came without passports.
"South Africa is awaiting the printing of these passports by the Zimbabwean authorities to enable the government to finalise the documentation process."
Dlamini-Zuma said recently: "All I know is that the process is proceeding a bit slow and would like to talk to our counterparts (in Zimbabwe) as this is constraining us in terms of putting a definite timeline of finalising this process, primarily because we have a dependency that we cannot do anything about."
Passop - People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty - welcomed Dlamini-Zuma's meeting today with the Zimbabwean co-Ministers of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Theresa Makone.
Passop spokesperson Langton Mariyoga said the government's project of documenting all Zimbabwean nationals in South Africa was currently at an impasse.
"The Zimbabwean consulate recently opened several offices around the country and took millions of rand from Zimbabweans applying for passports.
"After taking their payments of R750 per person, the offices were shut down, leaving thousands of Zimbabweans robbed of their money. The promised delivery time of six weeks never arrived," said Mariyoga.
"We hope that Dlamini-Zuma is able to sweet-talk, and, if necessary, twist their wrists to get them to do their jobs.
"It must also be made clear to media and the public why the Zimbabwean government has failed to deliver."
Mariyoga said if Dlamini-Zuma was convinced by today's meeting that the Zimbabwean government would deliver all the passports, Passop would cancel planned protests.
More than 275000 Zimbabweans living in South Africa applied for work and study visas last year.
Home Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said yesterday that more than 20000 of those applications came without passports.
"South Africa is awaiting the printing of these passports by the Zimbabwean authorities to enable the government to finalise the documentation process."
Dlamini-Zuma said recently: "All I know is that the process is proceeding a bit slow and would like to talk to our counterparts (in Zimbabwe) as this is constraining us in terms of putting a definite timeline of finalising this process, primarily because we have a dependency that we cannot do anything about."
Source - Byo24News
