Government set to review immigrants' rights
THE government has instituted a "review" of the minimum rights to which immigrants are entitled.
GOVT'S DUTY: Cabinet spokesman and GCIS chief Jimmy Manyi
Briefing reporters on the cabinet's decisions, government spokesman Jimmy Manyi yesterday said among the rights under review were the right to work and study in South Africa.
Manyi would not say whether the government wanted to change immigration laws to remove these rights.
He said a review was "not a euphemism for downgrading or whatever", but the department of Home Affairs said it would release more details of the review today.
Legal Resources Centre attorney William Kerfoot warned that any move by the government to revoke the rights of asylum seekers to work or study would contravene a 2004 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling, which said that barring asylum seekers from working or studying was unlawful based on the constitutional right to dignity.
Salim Vally of the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Education Rights said it would "fly in the face of international treaties and conventions that guarantee the right to education".
"The government must stop making 'foreigners' the scapegoats for their failure to set up a quality public education system," Vally said.
Braam Hanekom, director of People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty (Passop) said any downgrading of immigrants' rights would not only be "right wing and oppressive", but also completely infeasible.
"The current asylum process is back-logged and inefficient and often takes more than five years for a decision to be made. How are asylum seekers supposed to support themselves all this time while the Department of Home Affairs is trying to reach a decision?" Hanekom asked.
Also up for "assessment" by the government is whether the judicial system has transformed over the years. The government, Manyi said, would hire a research institution to probe how Constitutional Court rulings had influenced "socioeconomic transformation".
When asked whether it was appropriate for the government to investigate the Concourt, Manyi replied: "The executive has a duty to do what it has to do. The fact of the matter is that the decisions that get taken have an impact on society. This is a policy exercise. It is nothing to raise temperatures about."
This follows recent comments by President Jacob Zuma that the judiciary should refrain from interfering in the government's policies and legislation passed by Parliament.
The ANC's Gwede Mantashe recently told Sowetan that some judges had positioned themselves as an opposition to the ruling party.
munhu
Now we are talking. This is S.Africa, my home. Citizenship pfacha. We will be together hustling with the BEE, RDPs, and so on and so forth. Count me in! Yours truly, naturalised citizen Munhu.Report Abuse
Ntshwana
As a pilot project, deport all Nigerians!Can someone show me an honestly employed Nigerian?
ntshwana@gmail.com
Report Abuse
Ntshwana
Then follow it up with the Greeks, Italians and Portuguese! They messed up their economies and now they want to suck on ours!ntshwana@gmail.com
Report Abuse
DjEp
Phela loko hi fika eka tiko leri a swi nga tsakisi kembe swiswi se hi dyondzile, hi varhangeri va tikhampani leti kulu, Mboweni va khome ku tlula 5 ya tikhampani letikulu laha tikweni, uta n'wi byerisa kuyini ku a muka eMagudu? leswa 5years a swi nge tlhaveli hi sana, Manyi na vanghana va yena va dzhahe mbangi hi ketlele.Report Abuse
MommaC
Refugees belong in a refugee camp.Not only is it more dignified to have a tent, food, medical and security than it is to live under a bridge, but its a lot more practical too. There are numerous international agencies who have experience in running refugee camps and they should be loaned a patch of land and get on with it.
There are more and more (what the government calls) 'xenophobic' mutterings and there will be another bunch of horror stories soon if something drastic isn't done
Report Abuse
sabza007
I would be glad if they can revoke some rights.Our social is overloaded with illegal immigrants who are looting our money.Right now, the Department of Health in Gauteng is battling to get money to pay the suppliers because of the influx of immigrants to our hospitals that require medical attention and unable to pay.Joburg Gen is the worst hospital when it comes to influx of foreigner patients.This thing that even if someone is illegal in the country, he has full rights of health, security and so forth is bullshit.A.N.C is selling this country to the dogs.I wonder if my 2 year old will be living in a democratic South Africa 30 years from now.
Report Abuse
Manala
Screw immigrants' rights.What about my right to know when the government screws up.
Report Abuse
DjEp
After all what are borders, if you read histroy will tell you that we all started somewhere down near the sea on the South East, we then moved to the North (today called Tanzania), and after sometimes we started migrating towards South seeking food and grass for our livestock. Some settled in Mozambique, Zambia,Zimbabwe, Swaziland and some did manage to settle back in the South East (today called Kwazulu-Natal). naming of these countries came many years after people settled and the whites actual cut their own farms and naming started. in fact Mozambique was a farm for a certain portuques, and South Africa another farm for a certain Mr. whitewood. so what are borders becuase it seems as if we are from the same mother (Africa) and Grandmother (Eve)Report Abuse
tabadiametwa
Its about time. All this foreign mother fakas have being living large in my country with the same rights as me, eveb if they came here illegaly. Lets see this kweres... toying toyin again in our capital city, burning tyres demanding service delivery from my government again.GOING ARE THE DAYS KWERES..
Report Abuse