Some of the migrants who sought help at the newly established Migrants’ Help Desk in Johannesburg were highly qualified people, the city said on Wednesday, World Refugee Day.
Some had BSc degrees in mathematics, statistics and geology. They also included teachers and nurses, as well as people qualified to work in the aviation, engineering and information technology sectors, said municipal spokesperson Virgil James.
”These people, particularly, needed help with study and work permits as well as changing from refugee to asylum status,” he said.
One hundred and nineteen migrants sought help from the desk in April and May.
Seventy-eight percent of the migrants who sought help since the desk opened in April were from Zimbabwe, while the remaining 22% were from Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
”But 82% of the Zimbabweans were in the country illegally.”
Most migrants were males, with few women and children among them, James said.
”These statistics not only confirm long-held views on migration into the country, but this also stresses the need for the city to have a desk where such people can come for help,” Said Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, a member of the city’s mayoral committee for community development.
Other people who have reported to the desk needed help with shelter, trauma and depression, assistance in repatriating dead relatives for burial, medical attention for those with chronic illness or tracing family members or friends, James said.
”All of them complained of harassment by law enforcers, xenophobia and unclear or ambiguous home affairs processes.”
Situated in Loveday Street opposite the licensing department in central Johannesburg, the desk is mainly an information service provider for asylum seekers.
Community networks and economic opportunities and services such as social networking, counselling, legal help and shelter are also provided, said Mayathula-Khoza.
”There is even help where language barriers might exist, mainly with French Portuguese and Swahili speakers,” she said. — Sapa