Geneva, 30 September 2014

Mr Chairperson,

Mr High Commissioner,

Honourable Ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

South Africa endorses the statement of the African Group.

The South African government supports renewed efforts by the AU Member States to work towards achieving the objective of a conflict-free Africa by 2020, as provided for by the Solemn Declaration adopted at its 21st Ordinary Session held in Addis Ababa, on 25 May 2013.

We begin from the premise that we must fight poverty, underdevelopment and inequality and implement policies that will promote human security, forge global partnerships and capacity building to benefit all. The AU Chairperson, recently urged member states “to build inclusive social and economic systems, to ensure equitable distribution of resources and development; democratic people-centred and accountable government and to manage the diversity of (our) cultures, religions and peoples as amongst the key ingredients for lasting peace.”

Chairperson,

In the six years from 2008 to 2013, South Africa has received 816 838 asylum seekers placing a massive burden on our administrative mechanisms. Last year alone we spent R153, 380 million on Asylum management processes.

In South Africa the asylum and refugee community are in addition entitled to various government services including free schooling and health services. For qualifying refugees there may be potential possibilities of social grants and free housing.

In a country where for centuries the local population was deprived of adequate basic health, education, and housing the addition of this large population of people also in need of these services has indeed placed a significant strain on our municipalities, particularly in the Gauteng province.

Our latest asylum statistics indicate that 70 per cent of asylum applications are processed in the Gauteng province which is the economic hub of the country.

During January to December 2013 South Africa received approximately 70 000 asylum applications. Over 68 000 applications were processed during 2013. 7,286 applications for refugee status were approved and if we consider that each application represents a family the actual number is at least tripled. With increased efficiencies of the adjudicating process we have seen a reduction of processing times to approximately 3 months for all new applicants. We continue to strive to improve services for those seeking refuge.

Chairman

Social strife often arises from particularly commercial competition between local informal traders and asylum seeker and refugee trader communities. These often lead to heightened social tensions and even some violent outbursts. Our department together with the police and other law enforcement actors have been kept busy in trying to diffuse these tensions. On the other hand there have been real gains in terms of integration, and solidarity, but much more needs to be done.

In this regard it is important for the UNHCR to work with ourselves rather than resort to the courts to expand the rights of asylum seekers and refugees beyond the scope of the provisions of the Convention as this creates massive social strife in a country where the unemployment rate is amongst the highest in the world. We are convinced that working together we will be able to more adequately manage these challenges.

We note that the UNHCR budget for Southern Africa almost doubled in the current year from its budget in 2013 and next year will improve marginally. We would certainly like to see more being done to fund integration and social harmonisation efforts in South Africa. And we stand ready to work with the UNHCR in this regard.

Chairman

Both development and security is served by the existence of reliable national population registers. It is concerning that in this century so many African compatriots remain unrecorded from birth to death. The same is true of refugee populations. It is concerning that persons in need of protection go missing from camps as they seek better lives and more comfortable durable solutions. Without a single and collectively shared data base of refugees and asylum seekers we are unable to establish the fate of such persons who as they leave the camps to travel south often fall victim to all manner of life threatening dangers.

Regarding the protection mandate of the UNHCR it cannot be that we are unable to account for such persons, especially women and children. For its own part, South Africa is committed to sharing its own biometric data-base with the UNHCR in order to address in part this glaring problem.

Last year 32% of all refugee applications we received were from countries in west and east Africa indicating a systematic migration southward for a significant number of persons. Viewed from protection and persecution a verification procedure based in biometric identification will ease our own security considerations while ensuring that refugees who disappear from camps are always accounted for from a protection perspective.

Likewise when there is onward movement from South Africa to other countries either on the continent or abroad, there is no way of accounting for the whereabouts of such persons and we are left to record them as missing.

Needless to say the absence of a uniform registration process for refugees and asylum seekers also calls into question the accuracy of statistics produced in reports.

Economic migrants

South Africa continues to experience an unprecedented number of economic migrants who use the asylum seeker process to circumvent the immigration laws.  In 2010, in an attempt to unburden the asylum regime government announced a special dispensation for Zimbabweans in the country. Over a quarter of a million persons applied for and received the special dispensation. We are on the verge of implementing a second immigration concession for these persons.

Cessation

The South African government was among the Member States that implemented the UNHCR recommendation on the Angolan cessation. Of a total number of 3,713 Angolan refugees only 31 opted for voluntary repatriation.

We are committed to the vision of a peaceful and prosperous Africa. We participate in peace efforts of the United Nations Security Council and the African Union Peace Support Operations in countries like South Sudan, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as through our special envoys, seasoned diplomats, and military and police services. We wish to reiterate that conflict can be resolved through dialogue and a genuine desire for peace and prosperity on the African continent and among all the people of the world.

In conclusion, South Africa  supports the initiative of the UNHCR to evaluate the refugee challenges on the African continent and calls on the world to join the efforts to making the 21st Century an  African Century!

Thank you