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Zim refugee spat continues
18/07/2007 16:34 - (SA)
Pretoria - The spat between the Democratic Alliance and the Minister of Home Affairs over the handling of Zimbabweans fleeing to South Africa continued on Wednesday.
Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula "has no idea" of the volumes of Zimbabwean refugees who will flow into South Africa over the next few months or the difficulty of providing for them, said the DA's Mark Lowe.
"Our Minister of Home Affairs should be ashamed of herself, people are suffering while she finds excuses for inaction," Lowe said.
He said reports suggested that up to 6 000 Zimbabweans arrived in South Africa every day.
"Home Affairs says the tide of Zimbabwean refugees into the country should be 'integrated' into communities. This is indicative of how out of touch the minister is," Lowe said, asking where the people would be housed, go to school and receive health care.
His statement came after the home affairs department on Tuesday rejected the DA's call for refugee camps to be set up for Zimbabweans.
Cleo Mosana, spokesperson for Mapisa-Nqakula, accused the opposition party of exploiting the Zimbabwean situation for publicity.
'Adequately housed and fed'
"If they genuinely want to assist the department (to) deal with the problem, why do they have to do it via the media?" said Mosana. "The DA's call is nothing but cheap political scoring."
In a letter to Mapisa-Nqakula on Tuesday, also sent to the media, the DA's Les Labuschagne urged Mapisa-Nqakula to consider setting up refugee camps for Zimbabweans.
"Refugee camps would be the only way in which to make sure that these people are adequately housed and fed until they are able to return to Zimbabwe," he said.
However, Mosana said this goes against provisions of the Refugees Act.
"Refugees are supposed to be integrated into our communities and not kept in camps as the DA proposes," she said.
- SAPA
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