Her one hand held a cigarette, while the other rested on her pregnant stomach – almost protectively. Although it was dark on the street corner where she waited with her friends, the street lamp cast enough light for me to see her smooth unlined face.
Jennifer* is out working the streets with her sister. Pregnant. Without husband. Homeless.
Like the vast majority of the Zimbabwean women working the streets, Jennifer, her sister and their friends do not have the legal documents required to be lawfully employed in South Africa. Back home in Zimbabwe, financial prospects are grim enough to force them to come and live in a huge foreign city, with few friends and no certainty about anything.
Reports vary, but currently, South Africa is said to have one of the highest number of asylum seekers in the world. According to statistics, a total of 70,010 new arrivals were registered as asylum seekers between January and December 2013. An equal number of temporary permits was issued. Therein lies the rub. It is reported that in 2013, “only two of more than 12,000** asylum seekers were granted asylum status”. In many cases, the processing of asylum applications takes years and in the interim, the temporary permit must be renewed on a regular basis. Failure to do this results in the expired temporary permit holder becoming an illegal immigrant.
Once a person is in South Africa illegally, their options for employment become severely limited, and often people finding themselves in this predicament have no option but enter into exploitative employment arrangements.
Unfortunately the broken political regimes and economies in many of the countries where the immigrants come from are for now, so unattractive, that immigrants would rather risk arrest, exploitation and other dangers, than return. So the problem will not be solved easily. However, with a bit of adjustment, the asylum application and administration process could be improved – giving those who are here – whether they are welcome or not – a proper opportunity to integrate and become meaningful contributors to the South African economy, if they are not already doing so. Although it may be an unpopular view to hold, it seems a waste to deny many qualified people who have valuable skills, the chance to meaningfully use them.
*Name has been changed for protection.
**As mentioned, the recorded number of asylum seekers varies quite significantly from source to source.
Jennifer* is out working the streets with her sister. Pregnant. Without husband. Homeless.
Like the vast majority of the Zimbabwean women working the streets, Jennifer, her sister and their friends do not have the legal documents required to be lawfully employed in South Africa. Back home in Zimbabwe, financial prospects are grim enough to force them to come and live in a huge foreign city, with few friends and no certainty about anything.
Reports vary, but currently, South Africa is said to have one of the highest number of asylum seekers in the world. According to statistics, a total of 70,010 new arrivals were registered as asylum seekers between January and December 2013. An equal number of temporary permits was issued. Therein lies the rub. It is reported that in 2013, “only two of more than 12,000** asylum seekers were granted asylum status”. In many cases, the processing of asylum applications takes years and in the interim, the temporary permit must be renewed on a regular basis. Failure to do this results in the expired temporary permit holder becoming an illegal immigrant.
Once a person is in South Africa illegally, their options for employment become severely limited, and often people finding themselves in this predicament have no option but enter into exploitative employment arrangements.
Unfortunately the broken political regimes and economies in many of the countries where the immigrants come from are for now, so unattractive, that immigrants would rather risk arrest, exploitation and other dangers, than return. So the problem will not be solved easily. However, with a bit of adjustment, the asylum application and administration process could be improved – giving those who are here – whether they are welcome or not – a proper opportunity to integrate and become meaningful contributors to the South African economy, if they are not already doing so. Although it may be an unpopular view to hold, it seems a waste to deny many qualified people who have valuable skills, the chance to meaningfully use them.
*Name has been changed for protection.
**As mentioned, the recorded number of asylum seekers varies quite significantly from source to source.