Minister Dlamini Zuma today Wednesday 23 March 2011, responding to a Parliamentary Question in the National Assembly, committed the department to finalising a review of its asylum seeker management process which seeks to address challenges related to the management of asylum seekers holistically.
The Minister further explained that although “there is a longstanding first country of asylum principle in international law by which countries are expected to take refugees fleeing from persecution in a neighbouring state, South Africa has not been strictly applying this principle.”
She continued saying, “The legal basis for the protection of refugees internationally is contained in the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the status of refugees, as amended by the 1967 protocol to the convention (together known as “the refugee convention”). A refugee is defined as a person who: ‘… owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence … is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.'
Therefore, “in line with South Africa’s obligations resulting from its ratification of the Geneva Convention, the Department of Home Affairs has initiated a process of overhauling the Asylum Management Process which seeks to address challenges related to the management of asylum seekers holistically.”
“The overhaul the country’s asylum seeker management process will result in revised Standard Operating Procedures which will outline the processes of the implementation of a holistic process. In this regard, the department is in the process of consultations and discussions with stakeholders to finalise the process,” concluded Minister Dlamini Zuma.
Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
South Africa committed to finalising the review of its asylum management process
