SA-ZIMBABWE BORDER: COPING WITH CONTINUED HEAVY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 000994

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF KTIP SF
SUBJECT: SA-ZIMBABWE BORDER: COPING WITH CONTINUED HEAVY
IMMIGRATION

REF: A. 08 PRETORIA 1680

B. 08 PRETORIA 2677

C. PRETORIA 770

D. PRETORIA 771

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Summary
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1. A May 7-8 visit to the South African and Zimbabwean
border towns of Musina and Beitbridge found the border zone
was beginning to normalize despite continued heavy flows of
Zimbabwean migrants into South Africa. The SAG's halt in
deportations has reduced migrants' vulnerability to police
harassment and criminal exploitation, but NGOs still struggle
to provide protection, particularly to unaccompanied minors
and women for whom shelters are full beyond capacity.
Although the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is making
stepwise adjustments to alleviate documentation bottlenecks,
most notably via a planned identity card for Zimbabweans, the
SAG urgently needs a broader socioeconomic strategy to absorb
the influx of destitute foreign jobseekers without triggering
renewed xenophobic backlash. End Summary.

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2008-9: Ongoing Border Saga
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2. The last year has been a chaotic one on the SA-Zimbabwe
border, in tandem with events inside Zimbabwe. The first
half of 2008 saw growing numbers flee Zimbabwe's political
uncertainty and economic deterioration, making their way to
DHA centers in Pretoria and Johannesburg to apply for asylum
as a means to remain and work in South Africa. To address
these crowds at the source, SAG established an asylum
processing center in Musina in July (ref A). That model
operation was quickly overwhelmed, as word got out of its
efficiency. By year-end, DHA had moved to temporary trailers
at Musina's showground, where thousands queued for permits in
dismal camp-like conditions (ref B). The SAG abruptly
cleared the site in March 2009, introducing faster processing
options to avoid backlogs and disperse migrants onward
throughout the country. While the border remains busy (with
busloads of migrants into Musina, and truckloads of goods out
to Beitbridge),Musina once again feels more like a
waystation, i.e. less congested than previously.

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End to Deportations Has Reduced Threats...
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3. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
stressed that inflows were unabated, posing protection
problems. Musina program manager Mohamed Hassan estimated
there were about 400 new arrivals in DHA queues on an average
day, although on occasion numbers had surged over 2,000. The
good news is that SAG's new policy to halt deportations
(declared in April, and implemented by May) has eliminated
the threat of police arrest and detention, in turn reducing
vulnerability to criminal elements preying on migrants.
Beitbridge manager Nick van der Vyver noted, however, that
some degree of police harassment and even sexual abuse would
likely persist, as "It's become a habit." The notorious
"SMG" detention facility is officially closed for
deportations, although police use it for overnight lock-up of
undocumented foreigners to be delivered to DHA the next
morning.

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...but Musina Lacks Protection Capacity
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4. While rights violations may have been reduced, however,
humanitarian resources in Musina remain overstretched, with
shortages of food, shelter, and medical care. IOM and
Qshortages of food, shelter, and medical care. IOM and
Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) both say many Zimbabweans are
remaining on the outskirts of Musina in growing informal
settlements, either because they lack funds to travel further
into the country, or they hope to find farm work or day jobs
locally, or they want to remain closer to home. Whether in
Musina or in Johannesburg, van der Vyver worries that
migrants are clustering together seeking work in the same few
places, due to a lack of information on alternative job
opportunities that could help distribute the migrant burden.


PRETORIA 00000994 002 OF 003



5. MSF continues to provide free medical care and hospital
referrals from tents beside the showgrounds, but NGOs and
local church groups are struggling to provide some measure of
shelter and food to migrants. The "I Believe in Jesus"
church site is a vacant lot in which about 450 adult men
sleep on the ground with only a tarp overhead. A one-room
shed serves as a kitchen to prepare an evening meal. About
50-80 abused women and their children are housed elsewhere in
more proper buildings, sustained by IOM and local churches.
Another dorm-style building is dedicated to unaccompanied
minors who receive community donations and are enrolled in
local schools.


6. In its own offices Save the Children UK (SC-UK) is
housing about 20-30 unaccompanied minors, down from a peak of
189 kids after the showground closure. Program director
Lynette Mudekunye readily admits the situation is "far below
any minimum standards," but since it beats leaving the kids
on the street she has the full support and cooperation of the
Department of Social Development (DSD). The latter is
attempting to create temporary licenses to enable more such
housing, even if makeshift. SC-UK is working to distribute
kids to shelters elsewhere in South Africa and to integrate
some into the local community. For more vulnerable younger
children and girls, the preferred option is to hand them off
to any relatives in South Africa -- even at the risk that
such expedient measures might lack usual safeguards against
child trafficking.

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Documentation: Steps toward Full Mobility
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7. DHA is taking steps to speed admittance of Zimbabwean
migrants into South Africa and to facilitate the mid-term
legalization of their stay. In early April, the outgoing
Home Affairs Minister announced a "special dispensation"
identity card to be issued to Zimbabweans (ref C) enabling
them to remain in the country (and also travel back and forth
to Zimbabwe),work, and avail themselves of education and
health care. The dispensation will be renewable indefinitely
at a national policy level rather than by individual
cardholders, easing the clogged asylum system, which is
anyway a poor fit for Zimbabwean migrants seeking work. That
permit is expected to take some weeks to be rolled out by the
new Zuma administration, with no implementation dates yet
announced and many operational details still to be ironed out
(ref D).


8. While awaiting rollout of the dispensation, in early May
DHA border officials began issuing automatic visas to any
Zimbabweans with passports or travel documents. These are
the same green stickers commonly issued in the past to
tourist or business visitors, now extended to all Zimbabweans
without need for any travel justification, and with the note
"visit / work" hand written by DHA officers. Since most
Zimbabwean migrants lack travel documents, which are now
scarce in Zimbabwe and prohibitively expensive for most
migrants, DHA is working to create a special identity
document to facilitate crossing from Zimbabwe to South
Africa, but again any cost will be a hurdle to take-up. IOM
predicts that migrants will continue making the dangerous
Limpopo River crossing, or simply bribe border officials to
enter.


9. For Zimbabweans already in South Africa, or crossing
Q9. For Zimbabweans already in South Africa, or crossing
informally without documentation, DHA continues to process
asylum applications at the Musina showgrounds, as a bridge
measure until the dispensation cards are implemented.

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Integrated Strategy Needed
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10. COMMENT: The planned "dispensation" permit is an
important constructive step in assisting Zimbabweans, but
documentation is only the first of migrants' myriad needs.
With conditions inside Zimbabwe remaining difficult,
increased mobility and immunity from deportation may draw
even larger numbers to South Africa. As Home Affairs becomes
more efficient at regularizing their stay, the departments of
Education, Health, and Labor must plan and budget for
increased service provision. Provincial and local
governments should help coordinate alternative accomodation
for the burgeoning homeless populations such as are camped at

PRETORIA 00000994 003 OF 003


the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg. Having enabled
Zimbabweans to remain, the SAG must explain its policy
rationale and benefits to South African citizens, and address
challenges of economic support and social integration, lest
the Zimbabwean influx fuel a xenophobic backlash as seen this
season last year. End Comment.
LA LIME