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Concern over new Beitbridge Centre for Zimbabweans seeking work
By Tererai Karimakwenda
24 August 2006
On Friday the International Office for Migration (IOM) and South Africa’s Labour Ministry will inaugurate a new recruitment centre at Beitbridge border post that they say will help Zimbabweans to get jobs in South Africa. It aims to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country. The centre will be manned by officials from South Africa, Zimbabwe and the International Office for Migration.
But Zimbabweans have expressed concern at the criteria for qualification and at some of the procedural details. The South Africa labour department spokesman Mokgadi Pela was reported as saying the centre would help illegal Zimbabweans deported from South Africa to apply for work documents before being sent back home, where they would wait for government’s reply. Pela also specified that the centre would help those seeking employment in South Africa with legal documents, and that the employers were expected to be mostly farmers.
Mbiko Moyo of the Mtwakazi Arts and Culture Project in South Africa has had much experience working with torture victims from Zimbabwe. He expressed concern at the involvement of the South African government, given its attitude towards the crisis in Zimbabwe so far. And he believes this may be an attempt to stem the tide of illegal refugees flooding across the Limpopo and to monitor them on behalf of the Zimbabwean authorities.
Moyo told us Thursday that the centre will only process those who already have visas, therefore the most vulnerable Zimbabweans will not get help. Moyo also said the fact that there is a waiting period leaves room for Zimbabwean authorities to victimise anyone who has applied to leave the country. Moyo did however add that the only benefit would be that it will help reduce abuses by South African farmers looking for cheap labour.
The international group Human Rights Watch released a damning report earlier this month saying Zimbabweans were not being paid the minimum wage and were suffering numerous abuses in South Africa. The report also estimated that between 1.2 million and 3 million Zimbabweans were living in South Africa. Moyo said not all of these people can be employed on the farms and they need a different type of assistance altogether, but he did agree the centre should be a help in reducing employer abuse.
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