South Africa

South Africa: Amnesty International Annual Report 2013

Published by on May 23, 2013

Amnesty International 23 May 2013 Police use of excessive force against protesters, suspected extrajudicial executions and torture triggered national concern and some steps were taken towards accountability. Discrimination and targeted violence against asylum-seekers and refugees and barriers to accessing the asylum system increased. Progress was slow in addressing systematic hate-motivated violence based on victims’ sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite continued expansion in access to treatment and care for people living with HIV, HIV-related infections remained the main cause of maternal deaths. Human rights defenders remained at risk of harassment and violence. Read the full report here.

South Africa: Freedom in the World 2013

Published by on May 9, 2013

Freedom House 9 May 2013 Following a heated leadership battle within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and a related increase in political violence, President Jacob Zuma was reelected as president of the ruling party in December 2012, putting him in prime position to win a second term as state president in 2014. Also during the year, South Africa was rocked by a wave of violent strikes in the mining, agricultural, and transport sectors that resulted in over 50 deaths, including the August killing of 34 mineworkers by police near Marikana. Read the full report here.

South Africa: Operational Guidance Note

Published by on March 1, 2013

UK Home Office March 2013 This document provides UK Border Agency case owners with guidance on the nature and handling of the most common types of claims received from nationals/residents of South Africa, including whether claims are or are not likely to justify the granting of asylum, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave. Case owners must refer to the relevant Asylum Instructions for further details of the policy on these areas. Read the full notes here.

South Africa: World Report 2013

Published by on January 31, 2013

Human Rights Watch 31 January 2013 The killing of 34 miners at the Lonmin Platinum Mine in Marikana, North West Province, on August 16, 2012, shocked South Africans and highlighted increasing concerns over police brutality and underlying grievances over the government’s failure to fulfill basic economic and social rights. Read the full report here.

South Africa: UK Border Agency Operational Guidance Note

Published by on February 16, 2012

United Kingdom: Home Office, Operational Guidance Note: South Africa, February 2012. This report, and other Country Specific Asylum Policy OGNs, can be found at UKBA website here. CONTENTS Country assessment - Actors of protection - Internal relocation Main categories of claims - Women victims of domestic violence - Gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons - Prison conditions Discretionary Leave - Minors claiming in their own right - Medical treatment Returns Introduction This document provides UK Border Agency caseowners with guidance on the nature and handling of the most common types of claims received from nationals/residents of South Africa, including Read the full article…

South Africa: migrants face arrest and hasty deportations

Published by on February 14, 2012

IRIN news 14 February 2012 Four months ago, Clemence Uzizo, 21, a welder living in Soweto, Johannesburg’s most populous suburb, made the mistake of venturing out to a local shop without his asylum-seeker permit. Neither the police who arrested him, nor the immigration officials who detained him, verified Uzizo’s legal status before deporting him to Zimbabwe, the country of his birth. “My permit was at home but I didn’t have a cell phone to call to ask someone to bring it,” he told IRIN not long after making a risky and expensive return to South Africa via the Limpopo River. Read the full article…

South Africa: asylum-seekers resort to border jumping

Published by on February 9, 2012

IRIN News 9 February 2012 At the Beitbridge border post between Zimbabwe and South Africa, asylum-seekers from all over the continent used to jostle with Zimbabwean migrants to gain entry into a country widely perceived as a place of freedom and safety. But since border officials began turning away or arresting so-called “third-country nationals” seeking asylum in April 2011, they have joined the steady stream of undocumented Zimbabweans who brave dense bush, ruthless gangs, razor wire and the aptly named Crocodile River, to enter the country illegally. “I paid R290 (US$38) for someone to drive me from Beitbridge to the Read the full article…

South Africa: “We’ll Show You You’re a Woman”

Published by on December 5, 2011

Human Rights Watch 5 December 2011 Violence and Discrimination against Black Lesbians and Transgender Men in South Africa This 93-page report is based on more than 120 interviews conducted in six provinces. Human Rights Watch found that lesbians and transgender men face extensive discrimination and violence in their daily lives, both from private individuals and government officials. The abusers of people known or assumed to be lesbian, bisexual, or transgender act with near-total impunity, Human Rights Watch found. Download the full report here —- In 1996, two years after the formal end of apartheid, South Africa’s new constitution became the Read the full article…

South Africa: Dangers faced by survival migrants and refugees

Published by on May 18, 2010

South Africa: MSF calls attention to continuing dangers faced by survival migrants and refugees in South Africa 12 May 2010 “What has changed for our patients in the last year? Very little. They are still risking their lives when they cross the border, raped in shocking numbers by gangs, and then facing uncertainty about their status in the country. Many go on to a life in Johannesburg that continues to endanger their health,” says Mickael Le Paih, head of mission for MSF in South Africa.