Immigration
Disturbing court judgment ignores our rights
On 23 June the Pretoria High Court struck from the roll an application by Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) that tried to put an urgent end to Operation Fiela. Lara Wallis explains why this is deeply concerning.
Lara Wallis
Opinion | 1 July 2015
Cape Town’s Congolese shun independence celebrations
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) marks 55 years of independence today but many Congolese who fled to Cape Town say there’s nothing to celebrate since the country is at war and the government does not reflect the will of the people.
Bernard Chiguvare
Brief | 30 June 2015
“We work in love without discrimination” — How immigrant women are making successful businesses
Fatima Mahomed Abukar immigrated to South Africa from war-torn Somalia. She together with a group of Somalis, Burundians, Senegalese and Malawians sell belts, socks and bags in Stellenbosch. Their business now runs smoothly, but they had to fight to get it that way.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 25 June 2015
Angolans in dread of uprooting
In October 2009, the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) proposed to end refugee status for Angolans who fled the civil war which ended in 2002. It recommended member states act in concert to achieve a uniform schedule for the implementation of the cessation of the refugee dispensation.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 23 June 2015
Court to decide if Operation Fiela is constitutional
Is Operation Fiela lawful? Judge Jan Hiemstra in the North Gauteng High Court will hear argument today from Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) that it isn’t.
GroundUp Staff
News | 23 June 2015
Army closes down Cape Town Station
On World Refugee Day this weekend, South African police, traffic officials, metro police, brand specialists, immigration officials and defence force members shut down Cape Town Station's taxi terminus as part of Operation Fiela. The four-hour operation brought commuters to a standstill as taxis were not allowed in or out on a busy Saturday morning. Dozens of foreign nationals were arrested.
Bernard Chiguvare and GroundUp Staff
News | 22 June 2015
Visa applicants rejected for “incorrect and ill informed” reasons
The Forum of Immigration Practitioners of South Africa (FIPSA) last week said many visa applications are being rejected by Home Affairs due to the incorrect application of the law, leaving a stream of applicants unable to work, study and pay their bills.
Bernard Chiguvare and Ashleigh Furlong
News | 18 June 2015
How immigrants contribute to the SA economy
Saturday 20 June is World Refugee Day. In a keynote address at an event organised by the Scalabrini Centre and the Holocaust Centre in Cape Town, Caroline Skinner, senior researcher at The African Centre for Cities (ACC) at the University of Cape Town, shared timely new research about the role of migrants and refugees in the informal economy.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 17 June 2015
Asylum seeker’s eight years in limbo
Enap ‘Pitshou’ Ngwene, 32, is an asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since he arrived in South Africa in 2007, he has nothing tangible to show. He blames this on his rejection for asylum in 2011, which has now been on appeal for four years.
Tariro Washinyira
News | 11 June 2015