SA admits Zim refugee crisis

2007-08-02 18:23

Cape Town - The influx of Zimbabwean refugees into South Africa was a "serious problem" requiring action, Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said on Thursday.

"Clearly, we must do more to see what we can do to deal with the this large influx of refugees," he told reporters in Pretoria.

His remarks coincided with angry reaction from political parties to a threat by Limpopo police to act against border farmers who arrested illegal immigrants.

Pahad said there were daily indications that an increasing number of people were coming into South Africa from Zimbabwe.

The inflow of Zimbabweans was sparked by escalating economic woes in their country, which have left the shelves of many shops empty.

Vital for SA to act

Pahad said it was vital for South Africa to act.

"If we don't begin to assist the Zimbabweans to solve their own problems the flow into South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and other neighbours will increase," he said.

"It is in our interest, nationally and morally, to see what we can do to facilitate."

He said President Thabo Mbeki was due to report on his attempts to promote a Zimbabwean settlement to the Southern African Development Community Summit, which begins on August 10.

Farmers 'have to react'

Earlier on Thursday, the Freedom Front Plus said the influx of illegal Zimbabweans across the Limpopo border had created an emergency, and farmers there had to react.

FF+ security spokesperson Pieter Groenewald was reacting to Limpopo police chief Calvin Sengani who said crossing the border was "not a criminal offence that justifies harsh action".

Sengani warned that patrolling farmers who did carry out arrests themselves faced arrest.

Groenewald said Mbeki and Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula accused the public of doing nothing to combat crime.

However, when the public did act, they were threatened with arrest.

"Although the Criminal Procedure Act stipulates that a civilian arrest can only be made with category 1 crimes such as murder, robbery etc, an emergency situation exists in Limpopo.

Illegals have more rights - HNP

"The police do not have the necessary ability to control the influx, and farmers therefore have no choice but to take action."

The far-right-wing Herstigte Nasionale Party (HNP) said that the immigrants were causing farmers thousands of rands' of damage by cutting fences through which game escaped, and were also threatening their lives.

In Sengani's eyes, the illegals had more rights on the farms than the farmers themselves.

The HNP said the offences for which a member of the public could carry out an arrest included "entry to a premises with the intention of committing a crime".

"The time for capitulation is past," said the party, which repeatedly referred to Limpopo in its statement under its old name "Northern Transvaal".

- SAPA