South Africa - this is the way they treat asylum seekers

I don't feel at all guilty that Britain colonised Africa, anymore than Silvio Berlusconi feels bad about the Roman occupation of Britain. Stuff happens. At least we gave them roads, sewerage, fresh water, education and public safety. Look at Africa today and ask yourself whether it is safer, healthier or more civilised under indigenous rule.

The downside with colonialism is that it retards social evolution. It did in Britain during the Roman conquest and it did in Africa. Basically, the population simply carried on where it had been before being occupied, as if it had never happened. Look at Zimbabwe today, and you may get a picture of what post-Roman Britain became. (The Roman occupation did wonders for domestic production of foodstuffs alone, which were required in huge quantities for their armies and garrisons. After the Roman withdrawal, Britain's economy collapsed within the first hundred years and effectively became a failed state, making way for centuries of tribal warfare)

Ok, sweeping generalisations, but they are fairly accurate.

This week, the only news you will see about South Africa is the horrific murder of a woman of Indian origin, who had just been married to a British resident. But there is so much more you should know.

There are about 1.4 million Zimbabweans living illegally in South Africa. The government has now found a novel way to get rid of them. Although they are entitled to apply for asylum, they need a  passport to do this. The majority of these immigrants do not have one, and here's the trick; The government of South Africa are about to recind the moratorium on their stay unless they get their passports, but oh, The government of South Africa has been slow to issue them, so bugger me, most of them will be deported. Indeed, as of the end of October, only 7,500 passports have been issued.

According to local sources the South Africans are adamant that deportations will commence for those without the proper papers. They do not deny they have been slow to issue them. They assert that they are going to send possibly a million Zimbabweans back to their homeland. Meanwhile, a police spokesperson said that they were gearing up to assist in removing Zimbabweans when the December 31st deadline expires. These are in all probability the same policemen who regularly extort money from these displaced individuals in the form of bribes, by threatening to charge them with petty crimes in order to hold up their residency applications.

You won't get any of this on the BBC. They like to focus on the tenuous connection that two unfortunate Indians have with this country, rather than address the horror that over a million people face upon their return to Zimbabwe.

Sources:
http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/politics/Zimbabwe-Passport-Bottleneck-Frustrates-Migrants-in-South-Africa-108479029.html

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news171110/zimsfacing171110.html

http://www.buanews.gov.za/news/10/10111713451001

Coming soon ( I hope) , what is life really like in Zimbabwe? I have been talking to someone who lived there for over 20 years until finally, they were forced to flee.