9th May, 2000

Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs
Honourable Members, I am a citizen, not a lawyer, hence my submission will be general, not criticising the various paragraphs. Here are a few questions regarding the following:
p.6 General Entry Permit... Why should the foreigner not apply for an entry permit whilst still in his country? p9 (14) Exceptional skills….. What sort of skills? Why not train our own people? Why allow business to perpetuate this dependency syndrome? Our universities and technikons are full of young people who can be trained for any task within a short space of time. We are beginning to have a lot of university graduates who are unemployed because they lack experience.

Asylum
It is unfair and reflects a lot of wishful thinking on the part of the Human Rights lawyers and experts to have standardized rules about how every country should treat refugees. We are a Third World country with limited resources bearing in mind the size of our population, which is growing at the rate 2.3 million babies born each year. Add to this the already widespread poverty and unemployment in our country. The refugee problem is exacerbated by the presence of drug-dealers, gun-runners, rhino-horn dealers and other criminals who hide behind it. I am sure members have read in the press about so-called refugees committing serious crimes like those mentioned here.
Because of the powerful lobby of Human Rights lawyers, these refugees are allowed to stay in our country despite the crimes committed, causing bottle-necks in our already ineffective and inefficient justice system. Not to mention that it is the South African taxpayer who foots the bill. The Home Affairs Department must find more clear and concise regulations which can help it determine in the shortest possible time, who is, and who is not a refugee.

Consequences for the poor indigenous people of South Africa
Africans and Coloureds were denied jobs and skills training during the white apartheid era. These same people were in the forefront of our struggle against apartheid. They also voted this present government into power. Today, they see our cities streets full of hawkers and traders from all over Africa. These new traders have taken the space which should rightly be ours. Our people feel threatened and marginalized. They are voiceless because many of them cannot read or write. The debate about refugees is carried above their heads in a foreign language-English. More and more refugees are working as security guards, a job done by poorly educated whites and which pays badly. I wonder what the refugees learn there about the natives? Other refugees are to be found in the hotel and catering industry. Another sector which is notorious for paying inadequate wages and an equally bad management policy.
It is interesting to note that refugees have come as a God sent present to satisfy South Africa business needs for cheap labour. I am sure that this is not the aim of our government to provide business with cheap labour. It is just a coincidence. In the meantime, 35% of our people do not have full-time employment. Many of our people have not experienced any change ,either in their living conditions or in terms of job opportunities. They tell me that when they go and ask for a job to some white people, the response is: "Go to your government". Most of them are illiterate or semi-illiterate. They are confused, uncertain, fearful. They cannot even articulate these fears because they are not asked, and feel that no one cares.
Our government has taken the Human Rights experts view that our people suffer from what they call "xenophobia". In fact this stance means that our people are left to the wolves. They are labelled and criticised and no one is willing to listen to their concerns. They have been forced to take the back seat, whilst the newcomers have quickly taken the front row. They are aware of the fact that economic injustice is firmly rooted and is reflected in the high level of unemployment and poverty in our country. Squalor and stink is mounting in many of our townships, and the promise of a better life for all, sounds more hollow with each passing day. As competition for jobs intensifies, as it will, there is going to be growing hostility towards refugees. It does not really matter what government or Human Rights lawyers call it , this hostility will be there. It is there, as I write this submission. I am just the messenger who comes with the bad news. I felt I had to tell this story because I have heard it several times from various people who are concerned about the future of our children and our grand children.

Some Solutions
Government must listen to the concern of indigenous South Africans.
Give our police more powers to deal with criminals wherever their origins
Control our borders more effectively ( If the Boers could do it, so can we.)
Educate our people about the need to create own jobs (self-reliance)
Government must give more support to small business (especially black business).