South Africa: Shop raids jeopardise safety of refugees

Index Number: AFR 53/006/2012
Date Published: 12 October 2012
Categories: South Africa

Hundreds of asylum-seekers and refugees in South Africa’s Limpopo province are being pushed into destitution because police are forcibly and without notice closing their shops and seizing their goods. Traumatised by this harassment, many victims may be coerced into returning to the countries from which they originally fled. The shop closures began from late June and have continued regularly since then across the province. Fears are growing that this coordinated campaign could spread to other provinces.