Sanctions and the Zimbabwean Documentation Process: South Africa Walking a Tight Rope
The 65th session of the United Nations (23 September – 30 September) was the occasion for South Africa’s planned lobbying for the removal of sanctions against the Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and approximately 200 other Zimbabweans targeted by these sanctions. The
Sanctions and the Zimbabwean Documentation Process: South Africa Walking a Tight Rope
Nanzelelo Mhlanga, SSG Intern, ISS Pretoria
The 65th session of the United Nations (23 September – 30 September) was the occasion for South Africa’s planned lobbying for the removal of sanctions against the Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and approximately 200 other Zimbabweans targeted by these sanctions. The South African Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane was quoted as saying, “Whenever we get an opportunity, we will be lobbying for the removal of these restrictions against certain individuals or institutions in Zimbabwe, because we think it’s not necessarily helping in making sure Zimbabwe moves forward.” Unfortunately South Africa’s bid at the UN was unsuccessful.
South Africa is known to have blocked previous attempts to have Zimbabwe discussed at the UN Security Council. The former South African Ambassador to the UN, Dumisani Khumalo, was described by the London-based The Zimbabwean as “being fanatical in vetoing attempts by Western countries to impose UN targeted sanctions on the Mugabe regime, claiming the crisis in Zimbabwe was an internal matter” and as stating “We truly regret what’s happening in Zimbabwe but it’s not a matter that belongs to the Security Council.”
Luke Zungu, writing in The Zimbabwean noted that; “Last year the South Africans even blocked a motion to allow the United Nations to get a consensus on how to deal with the Zimbabwean crisis. If the South Africans successfully blocked discussions on serious human rights violations, what makes them think the UN will be amenable to listen to their plea on sanctions when rights violations are still widespread in Zimbabwe?”
South Africa’s attempt to have sanctions discussed at the UNSC seems to be in part motivated by its current program to regularise the status of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
On the 20th of September the Department of Home Affairs began a process of trying to have all Zimbabweans within its borders register themselves to avoid deportation. This appears as a very generous and encouraging move by the South African government, but is it realistic?
Zimbabweans are to report to the Zimbabwean Embassy and the Consulate, in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, to apply for a passport if they do not already own one, and then to make an application with the South African Department of Home Affairs for the correct type of permit, which will legitimate their continued stay.
No one knows how many Zimbabweans are currently in South Africa, but estimates range between 2 - 3 million. The South African Department of Home Affairs currently struggles with its own citizens’ applications and has major backlogs in processing asylum seekers. How will it be able to process all the Zimbabweans by the due date of the 31st of December? This reprieve for Zimbabweans is motivated by the pending termination of the special dispensation for Zimbabweans in South Africa.
Other than citing regional security, no adequate explanation has been forwarded for the termination of the special dispensation. The special dispensation permit was implemented in May 2009. It was meant to be for a period of 12 months, in which there would be a moratorium on deportation as well as a 90-day free visa period.
Thus far the current registration process has been marred by corruption and many unanticipated delays. In the beginning, chaos and confusion dominated at the Zimbabwean Embassy and Consulate, as well as the South African Home Affairs Departments. Zimbabweans were not clear about the documentation required and most of the queues were only for enquires rather than applications, newspapers reported Many Zimbabweans left frustrated and disappointed: they were being turned away for failing to produce the correct paperwork and/or documentation. Allegations of having to bribe officials at the embassy and consulate to submit their applications for passports have also surfaced. Furthermore, Zimbabwe’s issuance of passports is likely to take several weeks rather than the initial announced period of 10 days. This situation is creating a tense atmosphere with reports of incidents of violence already transpiring.
The South African Department of Home Affairs is under immense pressure and clearly not able to keep up with the demand. The long lines outside their offices bear testimony of the current lack of capacity. This prompted Braam Hanekom of the Refugee Right groups Passop to state “The South African authorities need to take the pressure off everyone by extending this deadline, or there will be more abuse and violence.” This call should be heeded.
The removal of sanctions against individuals in Zimbabwe tallies with the quest to register Zimbabweans, for many Zimbabweans would have to leave South Africa at the end of December. In essence, the logic would be that in order to avoid a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations must remove the sanctions on Zimbabwe so that the country can bear the influx of its citizens who will be returning home. When President Zuma spoke to the European Parliament in Brussels in September, he stated “On Zimbabwe, we gave leadership before anybody else did and the current power-sharing deal was facilitated by South Africa.” By the EU lifting sanctions it “would give a chance to the efforts we are making there and empower the Southern African Development Community to do more on Zimbabwe,” Zuma was quoted as saying by VOA news.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane, in her statement to the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2010 stated, “The people of Zimbabwe also need [the] our helping hand of the international community in their implementation of the Global Political Agreement. The African Union and SADC speak for us too in calling for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe.”
Her statement regarding the removal of the sanctions did not, however, appear very convincing after the same request had been made by the Malawian President, who is also the chairman of the African Union, President Bingu wa Mutharika, and was rejected by a senior U.S State Department Official, Susan Page. She argued that as long as the human rights violations continued and there was a lack of civil and political rights, sanctions would not be lifted.
South Africa finds itself in a very messy situation. On the one hand, it has the difficult task of convincing the UN to remove sanctions on Zimbabwe, despite its past reluctance to discuss the Zimbabwean situation at the UN Security Council. On the other hand, it has the difficult task of trying to deal with its own irregular migration problem, whose resolution can only be achieved through creating stability and prosperity in Zimbabwe.
