Pro-Mugabe supporter in charge of asylum applications in Pretoria

  By Tichaona Sibanda
  29 December 2005

MDC activists based in South Africa are outraged over reports that a top official dealing with Zimbabwe asylum seekers has openly declared his sympathy towards Robert Mugabe.

Rodgers Mudarikwa, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Action Support Group said a DRC national, working for the Pretoria government at Marabastad refugee reception office is constantly frustrating Zimbabweans because of his open support for the regime in Harare.

‘He told me point blank and in front of 4 witnesses that he is a great admirer of Robert Mugabe because he helped the DRC government from foreign aggression,’ said Mudarikwa.

ZASG named the official is a Mr Pierre from the DRC. He is acting director of the refugee reception office, in the absence of a regular director who has been working well with Zimbabwe support groups.

Before he was assigned to be the acting director, we used to process close to 20 people per week with the Home Affairs ministry in Pretoria. But after he came on board, the whole system is now bogged down because of his reluctance to process the applications.

‘What makes us angry is the fact that he has the audacity to question the sincerity of Zimbabwean asylum seekers. Who is he to ask us that,’ said Mudarikwa.

To add salt to the wound, the official is also a refugee who was granted that status when he fled the DRC. The ZASG said they were in the process of writing a letter to the authorities there to transfer the official from the refugee office.