Angolan refugees get UN help

2006-05-11 15:33

Pretoria - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees will assist in the repatriation of Angolan refugees in South Africa until October, said a UNHCR representative on Thursday.

The UNHCR's Abel Mbilinyi said an information campaign on how to obtain UNHCR help would be launched for the 14 000 Angolan refugees in South Africa.

The repatriation was completely voluntary, he said.

Mbilinyi said help from the commission would end in October because it was the start of the country's rainy season, which would make road travel difficult, and because the Angolan war had ended in 2002.

The UNHCR's assistance would include free air tickets to Angola for refugees and no taxes on belongings being brought into the country.

The director-general of the department of home affairs, Mzuvukile Maqetuka, said the voluntary repatriation gave Angolans the opportunity to return home and make a much-needed contribution to the rebuilding and development of their country.

He said South Africa was one of the few countries in the world that did not have refugee camps, believing that refugees should be integrated into society.

Angolan government representative Antonio Rafael, said the returning Angolan refugees would be given homes and assisted in resuming their work, most of which had been in the agricultural sector.

- SAPA