New Take on the Refugee Question: SA's 604 Overseas Refugees

Today's Weekend Argus carried a front page spread shedding some new and interesting light on the case of Brandon Huntley. It turns out that hundreds of South Africans have already been granted asylum over the past few years, yet none has caused such an uproar as Huntley. Could it be that it's because he's white? It's very difficult to come to a different conclusion, in fact.

New Take on the Refugee Question: SA's 604 Overseas Refugees

25 September 2009
Candice Bailey, IOL

Brandon Huntley, South Africa's white refugee who 'fled' to Canada to escape being targetted by 'black criminals' is not alone.

The Saturday Star can reveal, as diplomats scramble to repair the rift caused by the international embarassment to South Africa, that Canada has granted asylum to a further 32 South Africans.

In fact, there are more than 600 South Africans living as refugees across the world:

• 170 in Germany


• 111 in the United States


• 46 in Ireland


• 33 in Canada


• 25 in the UK


• 18 in France


• 15 in Australia

But on Friday United National High Commission on Refugees' southern African representative, Sanda Kimbimbi, said there were no grounds for any South African to be granted refugee status anywhere in the world.

"Crime cannot be grounds for application because it is not listed as one of the grounds to apply for refugee status.

"And how do you articulate your claims ? because you are a victim of crime? Crime is not committed by the state. To say the state is not able to protect you is far fetched. Anyone can be a victim of crime. If that was the case, then anyone in SA would be able to claim it."

As the diplomatic rift between Pretoria and Ottawa deepened, the Canadian government instructed its lawyers to fight Canada's independent Immigrations and Refugee board?s decision to grant Huntley asylum.

Dr Abraham Nkomo, South African High Commissioner to Canada told the Saturday Star that he had been informed of the Canadian government's decision and that the court would take between 30 and 90 days to review the decision.

"They have understood our case and submission and want to place on record that they have a very high regard for SA's track record, its interracial harmony and democracy that has been observed in our country," he told the Saturday Star on Friday.

"They also take into regard the bilateral relations between our two countries which are very strong."

He said in Huntley?s case there was also the perception that he had tried to circumvent the stringent residency and citizenship procedures to applying for citizenship.

The 31-year-old Huntley, who lives in Ottawa, had based his application on his persecution as a white man in South Africa, saying he'd been the victim of seven attempted robberies and called a "white dog" and "settler."

Huntley is originally from Mowbray, a middle class suburb in Cape Town. He told the refugee board he had been attacked seven times - including three stabbings - by black South Africans. He did not report any of the incidents to police, saying he did not trust them.

He had been staying illegally in Canada from 2006 and argued that his safety would be in danger if he returned.

This week, Huntley went to ground after the furore sparked a ferocious international debate that played out across embassies, the Internet and newspaper columns, closing off access to his Facebook site initially and then later completely withdrawing his profile.

Attempts to reach Huntley?s lawyer Russell Kaplan were also fruitless and his family have also kept tight-lipped.

Source: IOL / IOL (PDF), via ILuvSA