Zimbabwean priests in South Africa to check on refugees

By Tererai Karimakwenda
16 August 2005

Religious officials from Zimbabwe calling themselves the Zimbabwe National Pastors Conference (ZNPC) are in South Africa to check on conditions faced by Zimbabwean exiles who have settled there. Among the places they will visit is the Lindela Refuge Detention Centre that is currently under investigation by the South African government due to the number of deaths that have occurred there and complaints about abusive treatment by security guards.

The pastors' delegation will also visit slums that have become home for thousands of struggling Zimbabweans. ZNPC spokesperson Vimbai Mugwidi said "Zimbabwe's clergy felt they had an obligation to provide pastoral support to Zimbabweans within the country, as well as those who had been forced to leave the country under difficult circumstances."

Zimbabweans who have left home are facing major difficulties accessing legal services in the countries they now inhabit. In the U.K., deportations of failed asylum seekers are on hold until a tribunal reviews several cases and decides whether it is safe to return anyone to Zimbabwe. In South Africa, getting legal status to stay and work is next to impossible. Thousands need to apply but most never the get opportunity due to the limited number of applicants allowed each day.