GroundUp
A REPORT released recently by several civil society organisations has found evidence that LGBT refugees are being denied asylum in South Africa despite being “eligible for protection under international and domestic law”.
The authors of the report surveyed denial letters for 67 asylum applicants who had applied for asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI).
The letters were written by 32 Refugee Status Determination Officers (RSDOs) in Cape Town, Musina, Gqeberha and Pretoria between 2010 and 2020.
Amy-Leigh Payne, attorney at the Legal Resources Centre (LRC), summarising the report findings, said that the Refugees Act requires South Africa to extend protection to people who have a well-founded fear of SOGI-based persecution.
Lawmakers passing the country s same-sex marriage bill s first vote in parliament s lower chamber April 29 thrilled LGBTQ Czechs.
At the same time, the split government also voted on the opposition s bill to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage, which also passed. However, it would need a higher threshold to become law.
Czeslaw Walek, chairman of Prague Pride and head of We Are Fair Campaign, the country s organization fighting for marriage equality, was thrilled by the vote on the marriage bill, calling it a huge success, in an email to the Bay Area Reporter. It sent a signal that the change is possible if we vote for representatives that support our cause, he wrote, referring to the Easter European country s forthcoming October general election.
Two court applications are contesting the late King Goodwill Zwelithini’s will, signalling a turbulent succession battle.
At the centre are Zwelithini’s eldest wife, Queen Sibongile Dlamini and two of his daughters, princesses Ntandoyenkosi Zulu and Ntombizosuthu Zulu-Duma (Dlamini’s children).
In the first matter, Dlamini is laying claim to 50% of Zwelithini’s estate worth more than R71-million and including the Ingonyama Trust, of which the king was the sole trustee.
The pair married under civil law in 1969 and therefore in community of property. This was before Zwelithini was crowned, as custom dictated that an unmarried male could not assume the throne.
LGBT refugees are being denied asylum in South Africa, according to a report.
The report found that Home Affairs officials use sexual and/or gender minorities to justify denials.
It also found the use of derogatory language in official documentation.
A report released on Thursday by several civil society organisations has found evidence that LGBT refugees are being denied asylum in South Africa despite being, “. eligible for protection under international and domestic law”, GroundUp reports.
The authors of the report surveyed denial letters for 67 asylum applicants who had applied for asylum on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI).