Marion Edmunds
One of the world’s most respected human rights watchdogs has accused the South African government of committing serious human rights abuses against illegal immigrants, in a damning report that draws parallels with the apartheid regime’s treatment of blac ks.
The Human Rights Watch report is the first significant attack from an international agency on the African National Congress government’s human rights record, and is certain to embarrass Minister of Home Affairs, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, and his Cabinet coll eagues.
“Now that the tables are turned, it is shameful to see how hostile South Africans have become to today’s migrants and refugees who are in need. In light of South Africa’s demonstrated commitment to the advancement of human rights and its leadership role in the Southern African region, we expect them to do better than this,” the watchdog says.
Its 50-page document – which guns for Buthelezi and his officials -unveils a litany of human rights abuses, describing the horrific conditions under which non-South Africans are detained, their humiliation at the hands of the authorities, and the xenopho bia they confront in society.
The group’s evidence is drawn from exhaustive research, including interviews with refugees, foreigners, NGOs, politicians, officials and human rights commissioners.
The Human Rights Watch accuses home affairs of deliberately stalling the reform of laws governing refugees and migration. Despite public knowledge of atrocities against foreigners, the government has been reluctant to reform its approach. This is partly because of political sensitivity over foreigners’ rights in a society battling unemployment, poverty and crime.
The report also highlights alleged abuses at Lindela, a private deportation centre owned by ANC Women’s League members in Krugersdorp.
“The officials’ attitude is very aggressive and hostile. The inmates’ names were shouted out at them and they are expected to act in concert with the commands from the officials. The situation is reminiscent of the old pass law offices or some military b arracks,” the report says, quoting the Human Rights Commission.
The report cites, amongst many examples of abuse at Lindela, the story of a Lesotho man, Qoane Motlemo (23), who claimed to have been viciously beaten by Lindela guards.
“I was locked into a room by myself … Yesterday three men entered the room. I was handcuffed and my leg was tied to a bed. One man started beating me. He punched me in the face and kicked me in the bladder. Later, I was urinating blood. My jaw was swol len. After beating me up, they left me handcuffed … They beat me from 10am and they beat me until 5pm, changing the people who beat me,” he said
The report alleges Motlemo was visibly in pain during the interview and was taken to a doctor.
The report also documents corruption by policemen and home affairs officials, who are said to demand bribes to process paperwork as a matter of course.
“Home affairs is the worst place in South Africa. It is a real factory of money. If you don’t give them money, you don’t get refugee status,” says a Nigerian hawker in the report.
There is further criticism of home affairs officials’ methods of identifying foreigners when they round people up. For example, officials use superficial marks such as inoculation scars to judge the origin of foreigners, and rely on news-clips from CNN t o assess the political stability of the countries from which they fled. A fifth of “illegal aliens” rounded up are legal residents, who have been illegally detained by zealous officials.
South African farmers and employees are also exposed in the report for exploiting immigrant labour. It describes instances in which employees arrange for immigrants to be deported, just days before they ought to receive their monthly salaries.
The Human Rights Watch criticises political leaders’ attitude to black African foreigners, saying white undocumented migrants are not targeted for abuse in the same way.
“The climate of xenophobia in South Africa and the common inflammatory remarks of politicians against migrants foster the official abuses described in this report. Migrants are erroneously perceived as responsible for rising crime and as a serious threat to South Africa’s socio-economic well-being,” it says.
“Our interviews suggest that some police, army and home affairs officials feel that they are serving their country’s interest by abusing undocumented migrants, as this is likely to guarantee that the migrants will not return anytime soon to South Africa. ”
Yet the migrants do return, each time risking their belongings, their well-being and in some instances their lives to get to South Africa to escape starvation or political persecution in neighbouring countries.