So strong was the public pushback against 22 Afghan men seeking asylum in SA that they are considering abandoning their application.
The group’s lawyer Maurice Crespi told Sowetan yesterday that his clients were looking at residing in other countries because they were clearly not welcome in SA. Last month, the men had tried to enter SA via Beit Bridge from Zimbabwe but were turned away by the border post manager for failure to produce enough evidence that their lives were at risk and they were fleeing from the Taliban that had taken over their country of birth.
“Yes, it is true that the asylum seekers are reconsidering their position, especially if there are alternative destinations for them. The reconsideration is a result of the backlash that they have witnessed over the last two weeks. They were led to believe that SA would be a hospitable destination for them, but they are now faced with the reality that they are clearly not welcome here,” said Crespi.
The men had escaped from the country of their birth last year after the Taliban took over governance and they were in the list of wanted citizens for assisting the American government when it was in control in Afghanistan. They fled to Pakistan before they settled in Zimbabwe.
Crespi said they did not apply for asylum in Pakistan because it was unsafe. “Afghan refugees in Pakistan are being mistreated, with at least four people dying in custody, and thousands more being held in prisons.
“Children are among those being arrested and tied together with ropes, according to reports. While Pakistani authorities claim they are only detaining illegal Afghan entrants, those with official UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) status are also being arrested and detained. The number of arrests and deportations has increased since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021,” said Crespi.
Yesterday, department of home affairs (DHA) minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Sowetan that they now intend to challenge Monday’s court’s decision which allowed the men to apply for asylum in SA.
He said the decision came after his colleagues in the department and outside voiced their concerns about the reasons behind the men’s pending asylum into SA. The men said they wanted to come to SA to bring their medical skills to help the victims of crimes in the Cape Flats, Western Cape.
On Monday, Motsoaledi’s office initially said they would not challenge the court’s decision. “Subsequent to that, quite a number of colleagues in government were not very convinced [that we shouldn’t challenge the court order]. “Even in our own department, some of my colleagues were not happy and we said perhaps we are approaching the case in a wrong way. Perhaps we should get legal advice from legal gurus outside the state...”
He said it was an insult to SA for the group to offer their professional skills while they were applying for an asylum visa. “They are basically saying allow me in[to your country] because after all you need me as I can help you in the Cape Flats,” he said.
Motsoaledi said the government was the one in a position to determine the scarce skills it needs.
“You don’t need somebody to come and say ‘you’ve needs in the Cape Flats and I’m coming there’. That’s undermining. Secondly, they are not even mentioning the type of medical skills they have. If they are specialists, however, we do have a shortage of specialists, that is a scarce skill.”
He questioned why the group, whose legal fees are being bankrolled by a US-based NGO, had not applied for asylum from Pakistan as it has similar immigration laws to SA’s.
“What we know is that they left Afghanistan, they went to Pakistan, from there to Qatar, from there to Zimbabwe and they are now in Zambia. In all those countries, they never applied for asylum or went to court. I heard their lawyer say during a radio interview that they applied for asylum in the US but they were rejected.
“If that is the case, why didn’t they take the Americans to court. Why is it us [SA] who are being taken to court, not the Americans?” asked Motsoaledi.
Afghan asylum seekers to look elsewhere
Group explores alternative destinations
Image: Sunday Times/Esa Alexander
So strong was the public pushback against 22 Afghan men seeking asylum in SA that they are considering abandoning their application.
The group’s lawyer Maurice Crespi told Sowetan yesterday that his clients were looking at residing in other countries because they were clearly not welcome in SA. Last month, the men had tried to enter SA via Beit Bridge from Zimbabwe but were turned away by the border post manager for failure to produce enough evidence that their lives were at risk and they were fleeing from the Taliban that had taken over their country of birth.
“Yes, it is true that the asylum seekers are reconsidering their position, especially if there are alternative destinations for them. The reconsideration is a result of the backlash that they have witnessed over the last two weeks. They were led to believe that SA would be a hospitable destination for them, but they are now faced with the reality that they are clearly not welcome here,” said Crespi.
The men had escaped from the country of their birth last year after the Taliban took over governance and they were in the list of wanted citizens for assisting the American government when it was in control in Afghanistan. They fled to Pakistan before they settled in Zimbabwe.
Crespi said they did not apply for asylum in Pakistan because it was unsafe. “Afghan refugees in Pakistan are being mistreated, with at least four people dying in custody, and thousands more being held in prisons.
“Children are among those being arrested and tied together with ropes, according to reports. While Pakistani authorities claim they are only detaining illegal Afghan entrants, those with official UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) status are also being arrested and detained. The number of arrests and deportations has increased since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021,” said Crespi.
Yesterday, department of home affairs (DHA) minister Aaron Motsoaledi told Sowetan that they now intend to challenge Monday’s court’s decision which allowed the men to apply for asylum in SA.
He said the decision came after his colleagues in the department and outside voiced their concerns about the reasons behind the men’s pending asylum into SA. The men said they wanted to come to SA to bring their medical skills to help the victims of crimes in the Cape Flats, Western Cape.
On Monday, Motsoaledi’s office initially said they would not challenge the court’s decision. “Subsequent to that, quite a number of colleagues in government were not very convinced [that we shouldn’t challenge the court order]. “Even in our own department, some of my colleagues were not happy and we said perhaps we are approaching the case in a wrong way. Perhaps we should get legal advice from legal gurus outside the state...”
He said it was an insult to SA for the group to offer their professional skills while they were applying for an asylum visa. “They are basically saying allow me in[to your country] because after all you need me as I can help you in the Cape Flats,” he said.
Motsoaledi said the government was the one in a position to determine the scarce skills it needs.
“You don’t need somebody to come and say ‘you’ve needs in the Cape Flats and I’m coming there’. That’s undermining. Secondly, they are not even mentioning the type of medical skills they have. If they are specialists, however, we do have a shortage of specialists, that is a scarce skill.”
He questioned why the group, whose legal fees are being bankrolled by a US-based NGO, had not applied for asylum from Pakistan as it has similar immigration laws to SA’s.
“What we know is that they left Afghanistan, they went to Pakistan, from there to Qatar, from there to Zimbabwe and they are now in Zambia. In all those countries, they never applied for asylum or went to court. I heard their lawyer say during a radio interview that they applied for asylum in the US but they were rejected.
“If that is the case, why didn’t they take the Americans to court. Why is it us [SA] who are being taken to court, not the Americans?” asked Motsoaledi.
Afghan nationals 'want to help crime victims on Cape Flats'
Court rules 22 Afghanis can apply for asylum transit visas
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