We cannot allow bureaucratic wrangling to deny Africans abiding in South Africa the right to food, this goes against our values of Ubuntu.
Pretoria - Refugees and asylum seekers are supposed to have the same rights as South Africans, except for the right to vote and form political parties.
If we are to abide by the intent of the grant, then refugees should not be asked to produce ID numbers, and asylum seekers and economic migrants should be allowed to access the Covid-19 grant. The consequence of denying them this right is hunger and malnutrition, and potentially even starvation. Most migrants operate in the informal sector and depend on their daily income. In the current situation most have no food security, and increasing numbers have no shelter as they have lost their sources of income and have been unable to pay their rent. The government’s Covid-19 aid programmes, which involve food parcels, have often overlooked refugees and asylum seekers, and this is an issue which has been taken up with the South African Human Rights Commission.
In an effort to reach vulnerable households as quickly as possible, the government implemented cash transfers to 8 to 15 million people in order to assist those in the informal economy. The cash transfers were supposed to include refugees and asylum seekers, but a policy decision was taken to exclude asylum seekers.
But for many who have been left destitute in South Africa, the return home means they could at least attempt to farm in the rural areas. This year’s harvest of early planted crops is below average. Pasture for livestock has been deteriorating fast, leading to growing animal losses.Of great concern is that food staples like maize flour is in short supply, and on the black market it is selling at five times the price. Even sugar is difficult to find in many stores. Zimbabweans are being forced to live off whatever they manage to grow in the rural areas, but those in the cities are in an even more precarious situation.
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