Excluding refugees from the right to work as private security providers simply because they are refugees will inevitably foster a climate of xenophobia which will be harmful to refugees and inconsistent with the overall vision of our Constitution. As a group that is by definition vulnerable, the impact of discrimination of this sort can be damaging in a significant way. In reaching this conclusion it is important to bear in mind that it is not only the social stigma which may result from such discrimination, but also the material impact that it may have on refugees.
This interesting tidbit caught my eye:
The ANC’s Eastern Cape leadership has renewed its call for President Thabo Mbeki to stand for a third term as party leader. Provincial chairperson Stone Sizani asked the crowd at the opening of the party’s provincial office in King William’s Town on Friday what it was Mbeki needed to do.
Some within the crowd responded eagerly by holding three fingers in the air – representing three terms as ANC president. The crowd roared with support when Mbeki responded humorously in isiXhosa that he had 10 fingers, not only three.